Bribery case: CBI arrests 2 NHAI officials, 3 private sector personnel

• The case relates to the allegations of extending favours to the said private company by the PSU officials for processing and clearance of bills, release of Bank Guarantees etc
• Searches were conducted at around 15 places, including Guwahati, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Shillong, Patna, which led to the recovery of incriminating materials, said the CBI

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Accounts Officer and a Junior Accounts Officer of state-run National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Dispur, Guwahati (Assam), and three employees, including the Executive Director of a private company, based in Gurugram (Haryana) on June 13 in an alleged bribery case of Rs 4 lakh. "A case has been registered against Accounts Officer, Junior Accounts Officer, both posted at Regional Office, NHAI, in Dispur, Guwahati and others including a private company based in Gurugram and its three employees; other unknown persons etc," said the CBI.

Bribery case involving 2 NHAI officials comes to fore

The case relates to the allegations of extending favours to the said private company by the PSU officials for processing and clearance of bills, release of Bank Guarantees etc in lieu of illegal gratifications. The CBI has said that the private company had executed a contract of road widening in Meghalaya in the year 2018 for which discharge certificate was to be issued by NHAI after completion of four years of mandatory maintenance on March 31 this year. It added that the public servants and others are alleged to have favoured the said private company in the processing and clearance of final bills and getting bank guarantees of the private company lying with NHAI released as well as ensuring the release of discharge certificate issued by NHAI. The bribe amount of Rs 4 lakh is said to have been allegedly paid to the public servants for all these processes.

The CBI laid a trap and caught both the public servants for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 4 lakh from an employee of the said private company on its behalf, who delivered the bribe in connivance with other employees. The employees of the said private company have also been caught, said the CBI.

"Searches were conducted at around 15 places, including Guwahati, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Shillong, Patna, at the premises of the accused, which led to the recovery of incriminating materials. Cash of Rs 2.33 crore (approximately) was recovered from the premises of the Executive Director of the said private company. All the arrested accused will be produced before the Competent Court at Guwahati," said the CBI.

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