CBI arrests assistant labour commissioner in Puducherry bribery case, recovers Rs 1 lakh

New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Assistant Labour Commissioner (Central), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, posted in Puducherry, along with a private individual, in a bribery case.

The agency also recovered the alleged bribe money of Rs 1 lakh from the official’s chamber. According to the CBI, the case was registered on August 21 against the Assistant Labour Commissioner, three employees of a private company, a private person, and other unknown public servants and private individuals.

The accused public servant was allegedly demanding illegal gratification of Rs 1 lakh, through a private person, from a company engaged in a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) road project in Tiruchirappalli.

The company, which had applied for two labour licences from the Puducherry office of the Assistant Labour Commissioner, was unable to secure payments from the NHAI as the licences had not been issued. Investigators alleged that the Assistant Labour Commissioner demanded the bribe to process the licences.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap. The Assistant Labour Commissioner and the private intermediary were intercepted soon after the transaction, and Rs 1 lakh was recovered from the official’s office chamber. Both accused were arrested and produced before a local court in Puducherry, which remanded them to judicial custody till September 4.

Following the arrests, CBI teams carried out searches at the official and residential premises of the arrested officer, as well as at the private company’s office in Theni, Tamil Nadu.

These searches reportedly led to the recovery of incriminating documents.

Searches were also underway at the officer’s native place in Rajasthan at the time of filing this report.

The CBI stated that it is pursuing further investigation to establish the role of other officials and private individuals mentioned in the case.

--IANS

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