Bhopal firm paid ₹48 L as bribe to NHAI officials; 8 arrested

CBI probe reveals NHAI officials in Nagpur and Madhya Pradesh took ₹48.5 lakh in bribes from a Bhopal construction firm; 8 arrested.

MUMBAI: Officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Nagpur and Madhya Pradesh have allegedly taken bribes worth ₹48.5 lakh from a Bhopal-based construction firm in the past one month, a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has revealed. The central agency has arrested eight persons in the case till now, including four NHAI officials, said sources.

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Based on source information, the CBI on Sunday registered a case against 11 named accused, including four senior NHAI officials, the Bhopal-based construction firm, and two directors and four employees of the firm. They were booked for criminal conspiracy, abetment, demanding and obtaining undue advantage from a public servant, and bribing a public servant.

According to the CBI, the directors of the firm through their employees bribed NHAI officials in lieu of issuance of completion certificates, processing of bills, and smooth progression of works awarded by the authority. An employee of firm was also in regular touch with a senior NHAI official in Nagpur for clearing various pending matters, including processing pending bills and issuing completion certificates, for the Outer Ring Road project in Nagpur in lieu of bribes.

On Sunday, the CBI arrested six persons, including two senior officers of the NHAI, one of whom was posted in Nagpur. The agency made two further arrests on Monday, both NHAI officials posted in Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of total arrested accused in the case to eight. The agency also recovered ₹2 crore in cash during search operations in the past week at multiple locations, including the official and private residences of 10 accused persons in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, said sources.