CBI Arrests 7 for ₹19.96 Lakh Bribery in Odisha EMRS Tender Case

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested seven individuals, including a private company owner, private individuals, and the executive secretary to the CMD of Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd, in connection with an alleged bribery case involving Rs 19.96 lakh in the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) tender case in Odisha.

The CBI said that the case was registered against Hetal Kumar Pravinchandra Rajyaguru, the owner of a Gujarat-based firm, Shashank Kumar Jain from Kolkata, Somesh Chandra from Noida, Veer Thakkar from Mumbai, Rajiv Ranjan, Tarang Agarwal, and Ashish Razdan, the executive secretary to the CMD of Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd, in addition to unidentified public servants associated with Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd and other private individuals.

The allegations point to a collaborative effort among these accused to secure the EMRS tender for the private company in exchange for illegal gratifications given to undisclosed public servants at Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd in Kolkata.

The CBI’s investigation uncovered that Shashank Kumar Jain, a resident of Kolkata, had been soliciting bribes on behalf of unidentified officers at Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd. He was seeking a bribe from Hetal Kumar Pravinchandra Rajyaguru and another private individual in return for favouring their company during the tender process.

Rajyaguru had pledged to send Rs 20 lakh to Jain on behalf of the public servant at Bridge & Roof Company (India) Ltd. In a well-executed operation, the bribe amount was delivered to the private person in Kolkata through an alleged Hawala channel, leading to the apprehension of both private individuals. The authorities seized an alleged bribe amount of Rs 19.96 lakh from their possession.

Subsequent investigations revealed that this bribe was purportedly meant for the executive secretary to the CMD of Bridge and Roof Company (India) Ltd, who is considered a public servant. The executive secretary and other private individuals involved in the scheme were subsequently arrested.

Search operations were conducted at multiple locations, including Kolkata, Delhi, Noida, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Rajkot, resulting in the recovery of several incriminating documents, digital evidence, and a cash sum totalling Rs 26.60 lakh.

Hetal Kumar Pravinchandra Rajyaguru was presented before a special CBI court in Ahmedabad and has been remanded to CBI custody until September 21. The remaining arrested individuals will be produced before the appropriate court as well.