The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Regional Officer of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Bangalore, four officials including General Manager, Executive

Director, AGM of a Bhopal-based private company Dilip Buildcon Ltd. and a private person in an alleged bribery case of Rs 20 lakh and recovered over Rs 4 crore in cash during searches.

A case was registered against the accused following allegations that the Regional Officer, NHAI, Bangalore, Akil Ahmad was in habit of demanding/accepting illegal gratification from NHAI contractors for clearing their pending bills and for issuing Provisional Commercial Operations Date( PCOD) for completed projects, the CBI said in a statement.

It was further alleged that the Regional Officer, NHAI, Bangalore demanded an illegal gratification from General Manager of Dilip Buildcon, Retnakaran Sajilal posted at the firm’s site office in Bengaluru with respect to project under Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway Package 1 & 2 executed by said private company in Karnataka, it said.

It was also alleged that Rs.20 lakh was to be delivered to a private person at Delhi for NHAI official Akil Ahmad.

The CBI laid a trap and the private person Anuj Gupta of Dilip Buildcon was

caught. During the trap proceedings, Rs 20 lakh was recovered from Gupta at New Delhi which was received on behalf of Ahmad.

“Searches are being conducted at the premises of accused including at New Delhi, Bengaluru, Cochin, Gurugram and Bhopal Cash of Rs.4 crore was recovered from the premises of the accused private persons and cash of Rs.4 lakh was recovered from the premises of Ahmad, Regional Officer of NHAI,” the agency said.

All the arrested accused will be produced before the Competent Court.

The arrested accused are Akil Ahmad, Regional Officer, NHAI, Bangalore, Retnakaran Sajilal, General Manager, Devendra Jain, Executive Director; Mahim Pratap Singh Tomar, AGM and Sunil Kumar Verma (an official), all of Dilip Buildcon Limited besides private person Anuj Gupta.