NHAI project director arrested: CBI alleges Rs 12 lakh bribe demand to clear contractor's bill

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested the project director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Shillong, along with two others for demanding a Rs 12 lakh bribe from a contractor to clear a pending payment of Rs 13.38 crore.According to the CBI, the case was registered on July 1 following a complaint alleging that NHAI project director Aanand Singh Chouhan demanded an undue advantage of Rs 12 lakh to process the contractor's outstanding bill.The agency said Chouhan allegedly instructed the complainant to pay an advance of Rs 4 lakh as part of the bribe and asked him to hand over the money to a private individual in Guwahati.According to the investigation, the private individual then directed the complainant to deliver the money to another person in the city.Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught one of the accused private individuals red-handed while allegedly demanding and accepting the Rs 4 lakh bribe from the complainant.Following the operation, the CBI arrested Chouhan and the two private individuals, identified as Punit Agarwal and Manish Agarwal.The agency also conducted searches at the premises of all three accused.The CBI said further investigation into the case is underway.(with inputs from PTI) Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.