CBI Books Senior Vadodara Export Inspection Officer, 10 Others in Cash-for-Certificates Racket Ahmedabad

An investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exposed a bribery ring operating inside the Export Inspection Agency (EIA) sub-office in Vadodara, Gujarat. The central agency's First Information Report (FIR) formally charges 11 named individuals—including a senior Union Ministry officer and ten private operators—alongside a broader network of unnamed insiders who allegedly traded cash for unverified shipping documents.

The Core Allegations

Prakash Badiger, the Deputy Director (Technical) and sole named government official in the case, stands accused of turning the issuance of "Certificates of Origin" into a personal collection scheme. Instead of running mandatory legal checks, Badiger allegedly had exporters send their trade details to a specific WhatsApp number to calculate bribe amounts before clearing the paperwork. The illicit money was funneled through private business accounts to cover his personal debts, revealing a major breakdown in how Indian export goods are verified.

The Bribery Setup and Money Trail

The network used private middlemen to keep Badiger from dealing directly with the cash. According to bank records tracked by investigators:

• The Go-Betweens: Private consultant Mehul Shah coordinated the physical logistics, while Mitul Naresh Jani, the owner of Rudra Exim World, let his commercial bank accounts serve as the primary collection point for the bribes.
• The Named Exporters: The FIR names eight trade consultants and exporters who directly funded the racket: Mitesh Trivedi, Sohag Thakar, Shubham Tanwar, Pritam Sawant, Yogesh Parkar, Rajni Malhar, Mahendra Durgawale, and Shailendra Karanje.
• Paying Off Loans: Once the bribe money landed in Jani’s accounts, it was transferred to Badiger’s personal State Bank of India (SBI) account. Investigators found that the dates of these bank transfers directly lined up with the monthly due dates for Badiger's personal loan instalments.
• Splitting the Cash: Between August 2024 and April 2025, Badiger received more than ₹9.45 lakh through these channels, while another ₹2 lakh was sent to bank accounts belonging to his wife and children to hide the trail.

Shipping Risks and Broader Investigation

The case extends beyond simple corruption into trade security. Certificates of Origin are vital legal papers that prove where a product was made, allowing international buyers to claim lower customs duties under free trade deals.

By skipping physical inspections in exchange for cash, this scheme created an unmonitored channel at the ports. The CBI is now checking whether this loophole allowed restricted, dangerous, or unverified cargo to leave Indian borders without any scrutiny.

The investigation is still widening. Crucially, the CBI FIR targets "other unidentified EIA officials" and "other private persons." This allows detectives to audit the entire Vadodara office and its digital records to catch other government insiders and trading firms who helped run the system.