ITPO bribery case: Two accused remanded to judicial custody

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday remanded in judicial custody two persons, arrested in a case of alleged corruption in the Rs 2,150 crore redevelopment project of the India Trade Promotion Organistaion (ITPO) Complex at Pragati Maidan here, in which NBCC CMD Anoop Mittal is also an accused.

Duty Magistrate Ambika Singh sent public servant Pradeep Mishra and Akashdeep Chouhan, who allegedly delivered the bribe to Mishra, to judicial custody till January 12, after they were produced before the court on expiry of their CBI remand.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will seek custody of other two accused arrested in the case – managing director of Capacite Structures Sanjay Kulkarni and Ghaziabad-based middleman Rishabh Agrawal – on Saturday.

The agency booked Mittal, Kulkarni, Agrawal, Mishra and Chouhan in the case on December 22.

It alleged in the FIR that the contract to redevelop the prime land at Pragati Maidan was awarded to Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd and Shapoorji Pallonji Qatar WLL for Rs 2,149.93 crore by NBCC' with Mumbai-based Capacite Structures trying to get that work from Shapoorji Pallonji on sub-contract.

Kulkarni had approached Agrawal, who claimed having contacts with public servants, for getting the sub-contract in favour of the company, it said.

The FIR alleged that Agrawal had approached Mishra – a public servant in an intelligence agency who was on deputation – and was close to certain senior functionaries of the NBCC Ltd.

Under Mishra's influence, Mittal "strongly directed" the executive director of NBCC to settle the matter in favour of Capacite Structures, it claimed.

The CBI said in furtherance of the conspiracy, a meeting took place between Kulkarni, representative of Shapoorji Pallonji, including Sanjay Kharkhanis, and senior officials of the NBCC.