The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four accused, including a General Manager of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and three private individuals, among them a General Manager of a private company, immediately after the exchange of a bribe of Rs. 15 lakh. The bribe was taken/given as illegal gratification for extending undue favors in processing and approving bills related to NHAI contracts/works. Searches conducted in this regard led to the recovery of approximately Rs. 1.18 crore in cash.
A case was registered by the CBI on 22.03.2025 against 12 accused, including six public servants (holding ranks such as Chief General Manager, General Manager (GM), and other senior NHAI officials), one private company, four senior representatives of the private company (including two GMs), and one other private contractor, along with unknown public servants and private individuals.
It was alleged that the accused NHAI officials, in collusion with representatives of the private company, facilitated and granted undue favors in processing and approving bills related to NHAI-awarded contracts in exchange for illegal gratification.
Further, it was alleged that after arranging the bribe money, an accused representative of the private company decided to meet the accused public servant near his residence in Patna on 22.03.2025 to deliver the bribe.
The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused private company representative (bribe giver), the accused NHAI GM (bribe receiver), and two other company representatives red-handed during the bribe exchange of Rs. 15 lakh. All four were arrested.
Searches were conducted at the residential and official premises of the accused in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai, Purnia, Ranchi, and Varanasi, leading to the recovery of approximately Rs. 1.18 crore in cash, along with incriminating documents and digital devices.
The investigation is ongoing.
