CBI's big action, PWD officials arrested while taking bribe!
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has made a big disclosure of corruption in puducherry Public Works Department (PWD). The cbi has arrested the Chief engineer, Executive engineer and a contractor red handed while taking a bribe of Rs 2 lakh. During the investigation of this case, Rs 73 lakh in cash has been recovered from the houses of the accused.
How was the scam caught?
The cbi had received information that the Executive engineer of PWD had demanded a bribe for the Chief Engineer. A road construction contract was received in Karaikal, puducherry, for which the contractor was to be paid Rs 7.44 crore. It is alleged that the engineer had demanded a bribe of Rs 6 lakh, which was about 1 percent of the total project cost, to approve the payment quickly and not to obstruct the further process. The cbi laid a trap on march 22, 2025 and as soon as the contractor gave a bribe of Rs 2 lakh, the officials were arrested on the spot. During the investigation, Rs 50,000 was also found from the contractor's car.
Rs 73 lakh cash recovered during the raid
After the arrest, the cbi raided the houses and offices of the accused. During this, Rs 65 lakh cash was recovered from the house of Chief engineer M. Dindhayalan while Rs 8 lakh cash was recovered from the house of Executive engineer R. Chidambaranathan. Some important documents have also been found, which may reveal more scams.
Who are the arrested accused?
1. Dr. M. Dindhayalan, Chief engineer, Public Works Department, government of Puducherry
2. R. Chidambaranathan, Executive engineer, Buildings and Roads Division, Karaikal, Public Works Department, government of Puducherry
3. N. Elamurugan, PWD contractor (private person)
court sent to jail, investigation continues
On march 23, 2025, all three accused were produced in the court of Karaikal, from where they were sent to judicial custody. The cbi is investigating the case and it is likely that more names may come to light in this scam. The Public Works Department (PWD) looks after the construction and maintenance of government roads, bridges, government buildings and other infrastructure facilities across the country, but complaints of bribery and contract scams have been coming in this department earlier also.
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