The CBI has booked six lieutenant colonel-ranked officers along with some others for alleged corruption in the recruitment of Army officers through Service Selection Board centres, officials said on Monday.

The agency also carried out searches at a number of locations in connection with the case, they said.

MCSNA Bhagwan of the Army Air Defence Corps, the alleged mastermind of the recruitment racket, is among those booked, they said.

The CBI has acted on a complaint from Brigadier (Vigilance) V K Purohit alleging that on February 28, 2021 an input was received about alleged involvement of serving personnel in accepting bribe for clearance of review medical exam of temporarily rejected officer candidates at the Base Hospital in New Delhi.

The complaint stated at Lt Col Bhagwan, currently on study leave, and Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh are also involved in seeking gratification from potential officer candidates at SSB centres, they said.

The agency has booked 23 Army personnel and civilians, including relatives of officers, for allegedly demanding bribe and facilitating bribery, they said. PTI