THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Central Intelligence Agency has started a probe into bribing of top officials by international companies to land consultancy contracts of the government.

The bribe and commission strategy have also got modernized as it is all digital now. The new form of bribery is through gift cards and credit cards.

Top officers in secretariat get cards from companies that can be used at airports for free. Once they receive the card, they are slaves of the companies. The companies provide this facility in foreign travels of prominent political leaders.

For officers who go abroad, the government provides 60 dollars for daily expenses. With this money, purchases are not possible. Consultancies make use of this. Credit cards with one-year validity and limit of Rs 10 lakhs are being given as gifts.

Footages of the shopping spree of the IAS officer accused in the scam had surfaced lately and the stories of gifts given by consultancies soon followed.

As money is not withdrawn from these officer's own account, there won't be a problem even during an investigation. They can destroy the cards if needed. These cards can be used for all expenses including a stay at star hotels, travels, food, and so on. The officer alleged of frequent foreign travels had also reportedly used gift cards of the international company.