PANJIM: Much of the contents of the email, circulated within the Transport Department on May 26, 2015, and also marked to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and the Public Grievances Department, have been proved in the past few months, culminating with the transfer of Transport Director Arun Desai. Though Desai’s transfer came about following an Anti-Corruption Branch report, three months earlier the email had exposed corruption in the department.
Though the email was sent by hacking into the email ID of another officer, and an offence in this regard has been registered by the Cyber Cell of Crime Branch, the information in it has proved to be true.
On July 21, two months after the email was sent, Transport Department transferred 16 officers who were allegedly named in the email. Almost all these officers serving at the border check posts were exposed and named in the email, for collecting hafta and delivering it to a senior transport officer. The email also mentioned that officers who deliver the monthly hafta are rewarded with plum postings.
The officers accused of collecting hafta and delivering it to their superiors were transferred. There were many who were named in the email and called ‘Dons’ and ‘Kings’ of the transport mafia.
The email, a copy of which is in Herald’s possession, accused a top officer and said that the collected hafta was laundered in Bangalore and paid to the officer. It also named the liaison officer of an international mining firm based in Goa.
Though the corruption was mentioned in the email, including the modus operandi detailed, the contents were ignored by the government.
The email had been sent using the official email ID of Assistant Director (enforcement North Goa) Uday Gauns who was recently arrested by ACB while accepting a bribe of Rs 90,000.
