ACB raids RSRDC, arrests 3 with Rs 1.20 lakh bribe

Jaipur: The (ACB) on Monday conducted a raid on the Rajasthan State Road Development and Construction Corporation Limited (RSRDC) office, resulting in the arrest of two project directors and a retired assistant account officer (AAO) for accepting a bribe of Rs 1.20 lakh. The project directors had delivered the bribe to the retired AAO, who was working on a contract from DholpurBharatpur. Following the trap, the ACB team searched the retired AAO’s residence in Jagatpura, where they discovered Rs 98 lakh in cash and a note-counting machine.

ACB Director General Dr Ravi Prakash Meharda stated that the head office had received reports of ongoing bribery in RSRDC construction projects across various districts. The scheme involved collusion between project directors and contractors, with bribes being paid to the (MD) of RSRDC for budget allocation and bill payments.

During a search of Executive Engineer and Project Director Siyaram Chandrawat’s home in Dholpur, Rs 32 lakh in cash was recovered. The ACB also searched the house of Executive Engineer and Project Director Laxman Singh in Bharatpur. The retired AAO, Mahesh Gupta, who was working as a consultant officer on contract at the RSRDC office, had demanded bribes from the project directors for approving road project bills and budget allocations.

In the search operation at Mahesh Gupta’s house, the ACB found, a note-counting machine, jewelry, and property documents.