Patna : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has summoned three senior officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to Delhi for questioning over allegations of accepting bribes from M/s Ramkripal Construction Company. The officials under scrutiny are Lalit Kumar, Project Director of the Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga division; YB Singh, Chief General Manager (RO); and Kumar Saurabh, Deputy General Manager of the Purnia project unit.
The summons follows an extensive raid conducted by the CBI on March 22 at the NHAI office in Muzaffarpur, which lasted for seven hours. During the raid, Lalit Kumar was interrogated for several hours, with the discussions focusing on Schedule H and the extension of tenders allegedly granted to Ramkripal Construction. Sources indicate that Kumar and Singh may have facilitated these benefits in exchange for bribes.
According to initial CBI findings, a bribe of Rs10 lakh was allegedly paid to Lalit Kumar through Muzaffarpur-based contractor Satyanarayan Singh, also known as Pappu Singh. The preliminary investigation report, prepared by CBI Superintendent Suhail Sharma, highlights conversations between Kumar and Singh regarding the extension of tenders and irregularities in the approval process.
The CBI has registered an FIR, implicating a total of 12 individuals, including Satyanarayan Singh. The agency is expected to question Singh and other suspects in the coming days, with potential arrests depending on the evidence gathered.
Further allegations suggest that significant pressure was exerted on site engineer Anshul Thakur to overlook the use of substandard construction materials and manipulate the measurement book during the construction of the greenfield alignment between Tal Dussehra and Bela Nawada on NH-119D. Thakur is also likely to be interrogated.
In addition to questioning the accused, the CBI is examining their financial records, including bank account details of the suspects and their close associates. Raids on the residences and offices of the accused may follow as the investigation progresses.
