CBI nabs central PSU’s official and Mumbai -based firm’s official in bribery case

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior official of the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) and an executive of a Mumbai-based private firm in connection with an alleged bribery case. The arrests follow an investigation into claims that the private firm’s official paid a bribe of ₹2.4 lakh to the public servant in exchange for favourable clearance of bills related to completed contracts.

According to CBI sources, the bribe was intended to secure undue favours in the processing and approval of the firm’s bills for contracts awarded by the public-sector unit (PSU). The arrested government official, Uday Kumar, serves as a Senior General Manager at PGCIL’s Ajmer office in Rajasthan. The arrested private firm executive, Suman Singh, is a Deputy General Manager based in Jaipur.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the CBI had registered a case against six individuals, including the arrested public servant, the Mumbai-based firm, four of its representatives, and unidentified public and private persons. The investigation revealed that the accused public servant, in collusion with representatives of the firm, facilitated the clearance of bills in return for illegal gratification.

The probe further indicated that following negotiations, the arrested firm executive agreed to deliver the bribe at a pre-arranged location in Sikar, Rajasthan. Acting on this information, the CBI set up a trap and apprehended the PGCIL official red-handed while he was accepting the bribe from the accused firm executive. Both individuals were immediately taken into custody.

In a subsequent operation, the CBI conducted searches across multiple locations, including the residences and offices of the accused in Sikar and Jaipur, Rajasthan, as well as in Mohali, Punjab. These raids resulted in the seizure of several incriminating documents and digital evidence, which are expected to aid further investigation.