CBI arrests NHAI officer who took 'Rs 20 lakh bribe for Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway'

The arrested was said to be in the habit of demanding and accepting illegal gratification

CBI officials have arrested an NHAI officer and three senior executives of a construction firm working on the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway project in connection with a bribery incident and seized Rs 4 crore during searches.

In an official statement, the premier agency said Akil Ahmad, the arrested regional officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), was said to be in the habit of demanding and accepting illegal gratification from contractors to clear pending bills and to issue Provisional Commercial Operations Date (PCOD) for completed projects.

Ahmad allegedly demanded illegal gratification from the Bengaluru-based General Manager Retnakaran Sajilal of the Bhopal-based firm, Dilip Buildcon Limited, which has been contracted to execute projects under Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway packages 1 and 2.

Retnakaran was among the company officials arrested in the case, while the others include Executive Director Devendra Jain, Assistant General Manager Mahim Pratap Singh Tomar and staffer Sunil Kumar Verma. A private individual arrested in the case has been named Anuj Gupta.

It was further alleged that Rs 20 lakh was to be delivered to a private person in Delhi on behalf of the NHAI officer. The CBI laid a trap and caught the private person and an employee of Dilip Buildcon Limited. CBI officials recovered the bribe money.

Officials raided the premises of the accused people in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kochi, Gurugram, Bhopal and other places. While Rs 4 crore was seized from the private individual, Rs 4 lakh was taken from the NHAI officer's premises.

The CBI had registered the case against the accused persons. It will seek their custody from the court to question them.

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