The executive director and regional officer of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in Guwahati has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe from a private contractor.
During searches at Riten Kumar Singh's office and house in Guwahati, Ghaziabad, and Imphal, the central agency also recovered Rs 2.62 crore in cash and substantial assets and documents pointing to large-scale undisclosed wealth.
The documents are related to ownership and investments in multiple high-value properties across the country. These include nine apartments, an office space, and three residential plots in Delhi-NCR, an apartment and a residential plot in Bengaluru, and four apartments and two residential plots in Guwahati.
Further records revealed the acquisition of two plots and an agricultural land in Imphal West, possession of six high-end luxury vehicles, two luxury watches, and a 100-gram silver bar.
The CBI's preliminary investigations indicate that several assets purchased in the name of the accused and his family members appear to be undervalued and are being verified.
A case was registered based on credible source information against the accused officer and two representatives of a private company, officials said. Acting on this input, the CBI laid a trap on October 14 and caught Singh while accepting the bribe.
Binod Kumar Jain, a private contractor, was also arrested.
The payment was allegedly made in return for issuing favourable Extension of Time and Completion Certificates for contracts awarded to the private company, including the four-laning of National Highway-37 from Demow till the end of Moran Bypass, and other projects across Assam.
A local court has sent both the accused to three days of police custody.
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