LUCKNOW, April 3 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Lucknow unit, on Wednesday registered an FIR against the Kanpur branch manager of the National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF), his wife, and an empanelled vendor on charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption involving alleged illegal gratification of over Rs.30.8 lakh, officials said on Thursday. The accused have been identified as Anurag Sharma, branch manager of NCCF's Kanpur office, his wife Pratibha Sharma, and Sunil Jaiswal, proprietor of M/s Jaiswal Trading Company, an empanelled vendor-supplier of the federation. According to the FIR registered by the CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch in Lucknow, Sharma allegedly accepted undue advantages from vendors in exchange for granting licences and extending official favours. Investigators alleged that the kickbacks were routed through payments made for a liquor shop licence allotted in the name of Sharma's wife at Auras Bazar in Unnao in March 2025. The agency said the liquor shop, bearing code 26222, was allotted to Pratibha Sharma for a total licence fee of Rs.1.38 crore. According to the FIR, an empanelled vendor, Sunil Jaiswal, allegedly paid Rs.17 lakh on March 9, 2025, directly to the Uttar Pradesh government towards the shop's basic licence fee from his firm, M/s Jaiswal Trading Company. The CBI further alleged that an additional Rs.13.80 lakh was transferred on March 17, 2025, from the same vendor's account to Pratibha Sharma's SBI account. Officials said an STDR of Rs.13.80 lakh was created the same day and marked as a lien in favour of the excise department as part of the liquor outlet's licensing requirements. The agency alleged that the total undue advantage received by the accused public servant and his wife amounted to Rs.30,80,400 without lawful consideration, and that the vendor had official dealings linked to Sharma's duties as NCCF's Kanpur branch manager. The FIR was registered under section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with sections 11 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). CBI sources said that the Anti-Corruption Branch in Lucknow has assigned deputy SP Pradeep Officials also confirmed that prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Anurag Sharma was obtained from the competent authority before registering the case. The FIR is expected to lead to the scrutiny of NCCF's vendor empanelment and licensing processes in Kanpur, particularly amid allegations that suppliers were pressured to extend illegal financial favours to secure business and official clearances....