0fficial collects Rs 1.3 cr to fix LED contract, booked
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption registered a case against an official now posted as Joint Chief Engineer of State Highways for collecting a bribe of Rs 1.3 crore from Delhi businessman on the promise of getting him a project worth Rs 400 crore to fit LED lights in temples while she was working as superintending engineer in the HR&CE department in 2019.
By : migrator
Update: 2021-02-23 19:01 GMT
Chennai
The complainant submitted the video recording of the official accepting Rs 1 crore, the first instalment of the bribe, in a red colour bag and her daughter counting the money. The rest of the amount was given as cheque to the official.
DVAC has registered case against Joint Chief Engineer T Karthikeyani, working in office of Chief Engineer (planning, designs and investigation), State Highways, in Guindy, her daughter Vidya Lakshmi, three others identified as N Dakshinamurthy of Mumbai, his friend S Gnanasekaran, and Kesavan who works as attender to the official.
The person who gave the bribe was identified as Aman Goel, CEO of Radianz Pvt Ltd, Delhi, a company dealing with electrical and civil contract businesses.
In April 2019, Dakshinamurthy and Gnanasekaran approached Aman Goel offering to introduce him to the right person in Chennai to enhance his business. The two managed to lure him to the city, where he was introduced to Karthikeyani who was working in the HR&CE Department at the time. She promised Rs 400 crore business to him and demanded Rs 1.3 crore as bribe.
On April 28, 2019, he delivered Rs 1 crore at her residence near Vettuvakani Olive Beach and her daughter counted the money. However, they did not know that he was recording the entire episode, the video of which is now in the possession of DVAC sleuths.
Later, Aman Goel issued cheques in the name of Vidya Lakshmi (Rs 26 lakh and Rs 2 lakh) and Kesavan (Rs 2 lakh). The official demanded more amount to get him the nonexistent contract, but was later shifted to Highway Department, DVAC sources said.
As part of the investigation, the DVAC team carried out searches in the house of the official and seized six diaries containing details about bribe transactions, sources added.
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