Graft case: HSAMB chief engineer in judicial custody

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Panchkula, July 29

A Panchkula court on Friday sent Haryana State Agriculture Marketing Board (HSAMB) Engineer-in-Chief Mahender Singh to judicial custody in a case of taking a commission for clearing dues of a contractor.

The official was caught red-handed with Rs 2 lakh bribe on July 26 following a complaint by Mohit Kumar of Sonepat. Besides, a sum of Rs 35,000 was also recovered from the Engineer-in-Chief which the complainant had paid him earlier for a contractor’s licence.

Mahender’s counsel SPS Parmar told the court that as the recovery in the case was complete, the accused be sent to judicial custody. He will now be produced in court on August 9.

Mohit had alleged that he had completed the construction of roads in Rohtak, Karnal, Kaithal, Panipat and Sonepat districts for which his bills were pending with the board. For pending road construction projects in Kaithal and some other districts, the department didn’t make any payment, which resulted in a delay in the execution of works. Subsequently, the department floated new tenders for the delayed projects.

As per the FIR, the complainant claimed that when he met the Engineer-in-Chief for clearing his dues, the official sought commission and told him that if he did not pay it, the pending dues would not be cleared.

When Mohit told Mahender that his cases were pending before executive engineers in other districts, the accused told him that they were waiting for his phone call.

The official sought Rs 5 lakh bribe from the contractor as a commission for clearing his dues and cancelling tenders issued for the delayed works. Finally, the deal was struck for Rs 2 lakh.

As Mohit didn’t want to pay the bribe, he contacted the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The agency laid the trap and arrested Mahender red-handed.