The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Shillong, along with two private individuals in connection with an alleged Rs 12 lakh bribery case linked to the clearance of a contractor’s pending bill.
According to the CBI, the case was registered following a complaint alleging that NHAI Project Director Aanand Singh Chouhan demanded a bribe of Rs 12 lakh to process a pending payment of Rs 13.38 crore owed to the contractor.
The investigating agency alleged that the official instructed the complainant to pay an advance amount of Rs 4 lakh and directed him to hand over the money through intermediaries in Guwahati.
Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught one of the accused allegedly accepting the Rs 4 lakh bribe. Following the operation, the agency arrested Chouhan and the two private individuals, identified as Punit Agarwal and Manish Agarwal.
Searches were also conducted at the premises of the accused, and the CBI said further investigation into the matter is currently underway.
(Agencies)
