Two IAS officers suspended after ED links them to contractor’s bribe web

Patna/New Delhi: Bihar’s Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Tuesday suspended two Indian Administrative Service officers — Abhilasha Kumari Sharma and Yogesh Kumar Sagar — after receiving an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report that links them to alleged corrupt practices involving contractor Rishu Shree. The SVU has registered a criminal case alleging bribery, kickbacks and provision of improper benefits in connection with government contracts, officials said.

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What is the entire case of 2 IAS officers' suspension?

The SVU action of suspending these IAS officers followed an ED investigation report shared with the state agency. The SVU said it registered a case primarily on the basis of the ED’s findings and will request the ED’s assistance for further probe and evidence collection.

Contractor Rishu Shree, whose companies have received multiple government contracts in Bihar, was arrested earlier in a separate, year‑old case; his arrest and the ED report prompted the SVU to widen its inquiry, officials said.

Allegations against the suspended officers

Abhilasha Kumari Sharma (2014 batch), who served as Additional Chief Executive Officer and MNREGA Commissioner of Jeevika, is accused in the ED report of accepting gifts and having rooftop‑gardening and related beautification work at her residence paid for by the contractor. The report values the work at approximately Rs 9 lakh.

Yogesh Kumar Sagar (2017 batch), formerly posted with BUDCO, is alleged to have accepted an overseas trip to Austria for himself and eight relatives, with airfare and hotel costs reportedly met by the contractor to the tune of about Rs 21.92 lakh. Both officers have been placed under suspension with immediate effect, the SVU said.

Scope of enquiry

The SVU says more than a dozen officials are under scrutiny, including IAS officers, Bihar Administrative Service officers and senior engineers. The investigation covers multiple departments involved in procurement and construction, including Building Construction, Urban Development and Housing, BUDCO, BMSICL and the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation.

Several officials named in the ED report have faced raids and seizures. Reported recoveries cited by investigators include large sums of cash and high‑value jewellery from the residences of officers now under probe.

Which other officials are facing ED action?

Sanjeev Hans, a former senior official, faces three FIRs filed by central and state agencies alleging money‑laundering and corruption; he was arrested previously and later released, and is currently employed as Additional Secretary in the Revenue Board.

Tarini Das, a retired chief engineer who was re‑employed on a contract, was dismissed after investigators reportedly recovered about ₹8.5 crore from her residence during raids.

Mumukshu Choudhary, a Joint Secretary‑level officer, was reportedly the subject of ED raids that yielded around ₹2 crore in cash. The SVU has since registered a case against him.

Executive Engineer Umesh Kumar Singh and Pankaj Kumar, DGM Projects at BMSICL, have also been named in SVU FIRs; investigators allege disproportionate assets and receipt of illicit payments, and seizures have been reported.

The allegations, if proven, point to a pattern of pay‑to‑play in public procurement that can inflate project costs and divert resources from services and infrastructure. The reported scale of alleged recoveries and the number of implicated officials suggest the possibility of organised collusion between contractors and public servants in awarding and executing government contracts.

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The ED has been investigating alleged irregularities connected to several contractors operating in Bihar. This case follows a series of raids and FIRs over the past two years that have implicated serving and retired officials across departments responsible for infrastructure and welfare spending.

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