CBI arrests NHPC exec, others in bribery case

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested a chief general manager of the State-run NHPC and two other persons including a senior executive of Gammon CMC Joint Venture Ltd in a Rs 5-lakh bribery case related to the pending bills of Parbati Hydroelectric Project in Himachal Pradesh, officials said Wednesday.

Harjeet Singh Puri, Chief General Manager (CGM)-Finance, NHPC, Faridabad; Sunil Mendiratta, Senior General Manager (Project) of Gammon CMC Joint Venture and Sanchit Saini, who allegedly carried the alleged bribe money, were arrested, they said.

During the searches, the CBI has so far identified four bank lockers of Puri in Faridabad and recovered 1 kg gold and Rs 25 lakh cash, they said.

The CBI has also booked another person named Sunil Saini, and the company Gammon CMC Joint Venture in the case. The company had pending bills worth over Rs 5.26 crore for its ongoing work in Parbati Hydroelectric Project (Stage-II) of the NHPC near Kullu (Himachal Pradesh), they said.

The CBI has alleged that Mendiratta requested Puri to expedite the process of payment for which the latter demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh.