The Central Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of CPWD Executive Engineer Vikrant Verma and four associates on Friday after the agency registered a bribery case involving a no‑objection certificate for a parcel at Antop Hill in Sion, Mumbai.
Verma, a 2014 batch CES officer posted in Mumbai since April 2023, allegedly demanded an initial bribe of Rs 1 crore from the real‑estate group Baya, later settling for Rs 70 lakh, but the final payment recorded was Rs 50 lakh, according to the CBI statement.
A sting operation set on 1 October caught the bribe in transit when Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative, was found holding the cash at Vashi in Navi Mumbai; Verma was detained there while awaiting the payment, and three other officials—Vice President Arvind Semwal, Manager Chetan Mahajan and partner Anil Deshmukh—were arrested at the scene.
Searches at the homes and offices of the accused in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune yielded an additional Rs 53.87 lakh in cash, immovable property documents and other evidence, the CBI said, and the seized material will be forwarded to the CBI court for prosecution.
All five accused have been booked and the case has been filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act; the court is expected to hear the proceedings next month, while a local resident waiting for the construction project to start said the probe gives hope for fair processes. The CPWD has issued a statement assuring stricter scrutiny of NOC approvals.