CBI arrests NHAI general manager for 'taking Rs 20-lakh bribe'

The CBI has arrested a general manager of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in a bribery case involving an amount of Rs 20 lakh in Maharashtra's Nagpur, officials said on Sunday.

Arvind Kale, who is also a project director, allegedly received the bribe from an employee of a Bhopal-based private company, Bansal Construction Works Private Limited, engaged in the infrastructure construction business, they added.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out searches at five locations in Bhopal and Nagpur, including residential and official premises, and recovered Rs 45 lakh in cash, including the bribe amount of Rs 20 lakh, the officials said.

A case has been registered against Kale and 11 others, including the company and its director.

The CBI had received inputs that a director of the company, engaged in construction work in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, was allegedly delivering bribes to NHAI officials through the firm's employees for various undue favours, including issuance of completion certificates, processing of bills and smooth progression of the contracts of various road projects of the NHAI awarded to the company, the officials said.

It was alleged that Kale had accepted bribe from a senior employee of the private company for clearing pending matters, including the processing of pending bills and issuance of completion certificates.

Apart from the recovery of cash, some incriminating documents were also seized during the searches, the officials said.