CBI arrests five, including CPWD engineer, in Rs 50 lakh bribery case

Representational image. File pic

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five people, including a Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Executive Engineer posted in Mumbai. The arrests by the federal investigation agency have been made in connection with an alleged bribery case involving the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel in Wadala.

As per CBI, the arrested accused have been identified as:

• Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai
• Saurav Kumar, a relative of the public servant and a Pune resident
• Arvind Semwal, Vice President of Baya Group of Companies
• Chetan Mahajan, a manager with the company
• Anil Deshmukh, a partner in M/s Renaissance, a partnership firm under Baya

CBI registered the case on October 1, 2026, against Verma, Kumar, Semwal, and other unknown persons following allegations that the CPWD officer had demanded an undue advantage of Rs 1 crore, which was later negotiated to Rs 70 lakh, for issuing an NOC stating that the department had no claim over a parcel of land at Wadala.

The land was intended to be used by a real estate group for a construction project.

CBI recovers Rs 50 lakh

According to the CBI, a trap was laid on October 1 after the alleged bribe demand. Saurav Kumar was caught while carrying Rs 50 lakh, which he had allegedly accepted from Arvind Semwal on behalf of the CPWD officer.

The agency subsequently apprehended Vikrant Verma at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, where he was allegedly waiting to receive the bribe.

Chetan Mahajan and Anil Deshmukh, who were allegedly present during the transaction, were also arrested. The CBI said all five accused have been arrested and the Rs 50 lakh bribe amount was recovered.

NOC allegedly issued after payment

During the investigation, the CBI found that the NOC had allegedly been issued without an entry being made in the dispatch register. The agency alleged that the NOC was issued against payment of Rs 50 lakh, while the remaining Rs 20 lakh was to be paid after a week.

The CBI subsequently conducted searches at the premises of the accused and their associates in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune.

The searches resulted in the recovery of approximately Rs 53.87 lakh in cash, apart from the Rs 50 lakh allegedly recovered as the bribe amount. Investigators also recovered documents relating to immovable properties and other documents, the agency said.

Accused to be produced before special CBI court

The five arrested accused are being produced before the Special Judge for CBI Cases, Mumbai, on Friday, October 2.

The CBI said further investigation into the case is underway.