DAVP officials under CBI scanner for ads in newspapers inflating circulation Nos

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed a newspaper ad fraud and has commenced enquiry against some unidentified officials of DAVP as well as two others, according to media reports.

These newspapers allegedly had either gone out of print or were printing just the bare minimum requisite number of copies to be considered in circulation, but the owners had colluded with the said persons to show inflated circulation numbers and get government advertisements to the tune of Rs 65 lakh. The ads were placed in the said newspapers during the period of 2016-2019.

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Media reports quoted CBI officials as saying that surprise checks in the offices and printing press of these newspapers, carried out by the Bureau in August 2019, revealed that they were publishing only around 100-200 copies, as against the inflated circulation numbers quoted to win the government ads.

An FIR will be filed in case further evidence is found, a CBI was quoted as saying, as per the media reports.