2 More Highway Authority Officials In Bribery Case, Over 2 Crore Cash Recovered

The CBI has arrested two more NHAI officials, including a deputy general manager, posted in Madhya Pradesh in connection with a bribery racket busted by the agency, taking the total number of arrests to eight, officials said on Monday.

Deputy General Manager Rajendra Kumar Gupta, also holding the charge of project director in Bhopal and Hemant Kumar, posted as the project director in Vidisha, were arrested in connection with the bribery racket involving National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials posted in Nagpur and Madhya Pradesh, and the Bhopal-based Bansal Construction Works Pvt Ltd, they said.

The CBI busted the bribery racket on Sunday, arresting NHAI General Manager and Project Director Arvind Kale, posted in Nagpur, who had allegedly received Rs 20 lakh bribe, and Deputy General Manager Brijesh Kumar Sahu, posted in Harda, Madhya Pradesh.

During searches which were expanded to Vidisha and Dindori, the total recovery has increased to over Rs 2 crore and includes jewellery and cash seized during the operation, the officials said.

The accused were presented before a special court in Bhopal which sent them to police custody till March 9, they said.

Two directors of the company -- Anil Bansal and Kunal Bansal -- and four employees were also taken into custody during the operation, the officials said.

The CBI had received information that the directors of the company were delivering regular bribes to NHAI officials posted in Madhya Pradesh and Nagpur, who in turn ensured the smooth processing of bills and issuance of completion certificates among others to the company, according to the FIR registered on Sunday.

In its FIR, the CBI alleged that the company's directors had deployed two employees each to bribe NHAI officials in Nagpur and Madhya Pradesh.

While C Krishna and Jayant Kumar delivered bribes to NHAI officials in Nagpur, Nitin Rajak and TMS Rao handled the illegal gratification for the officials in Madhya Pradesh, the officials said.

The agency said it had received inputs that Kale, arrested on Sunday, had allegedly demanded the payment of his pending bribe money of Rs 45 lakh from Krishna, who got in touch with Anil Bansal and the issue was cleared immediately.

It is alleged that Kale was to be paid the bribe in two tranches of Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh but the CBI arrested him after payment of the first instalment.

The CBI had also received information that the Bansals were paying bribes to the Deputy General Manager and Project Director of NHAI Bhopal Rajendra Kumar Gupta through Rajak for expeditious clearance of bills.

The agency learned that Rajak had paid Rs 8 lakh as a bribe to Gupta.

Rao allegedly paid bribes to Project Director, Vidisha, Hemant Kumar at his residence on February 27 and Rs 20.5 lakh to Project Director, Harda, Brijesh Kumar Sahu at his residence the next day, the FIR alleged.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out searches at five locations in Bhopal and Nagpur on Sunday, including residential and official premises, and recovered Rs 1.1 crore in cash, including the bribe amount of Rs 20 lakh," a spokesperson of the federal agency had said in a statement.

In its FIR in the matter filed recently, the CBI booked 11 people, including the four NHAI officials, the company and its directors and employees.

"It was alleged that the directors of a Bhopal-based private company have been delivering bribes to various public servants of the NHAI through their employees in lieu of issuance of completion certificates, processing of bills, smooth progression of awarded works etc., in various road projects awarded by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)," the CBI spokesperson had said.

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