New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tuesday conducted searches at multiple premises in Delhi linked to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s private secretary Vibhav Kumar, Aam Aadmi Party National Treasurer N.D. Gupta and former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) member Shalabh Kumar as part of its probe into allegations of fund diversion from the board.
Sources in the agency told ThePrint that searches were being carried out at more than 10 locations.
Reacting to the ED action, AAP Cabinet minister Atishi said the central agency timed the raids in order to stop her “expose” against it. “We will not back down,” she added.
Last week, the ED had arrested a former chief engineer of the DJB, Jagdish Kumar Arora, and one Anil Kumar Aggarwal for awarding a contract to a company called NKG Infrastructure Ltd despite it not meeting the “technical eligibility criteria”. It is alleged that Arora took a bribe of Rs 3 crore.
The central probe agency claimed that Arora, as the chief engineer of the DJB, was aware that NKG Infrastructure did not fulfill the criteria in its tender for the supply, installation testing and commissioning (SITC) of electromagnetic flow meters. It said the work was eventually subcontracted to Aggarwal’s firm, Integral Screws Ltd.
The agency further claimed that as soon as funds were released by the DJB, Aggarwal’s firm deposited the bribe amount to various bank accounts of his family members.
“ED investigation revealed that M/s NKG Infrastructure Ltd obtained the bid by submitting forged/fake/false documents. Jagdish Kumar Arora, the then Chief Engineer, Delhi Jal Board was aware of the fact that the company does not meet the technical eligibility criteria for sanctioning of the tender for SITC of Electromagnetic flow metre. M/s NKG Infrastructure Ltd sub-contracted the work to M/s Integral Screws Ltd, a proprietorship firm of Anil Kumar Aggarwal,” the ED said in a statement last week.
It added: “On receipt of funds, Anil Kumar Aggarwal transferred the bribe amount approx. 3 crore to Jagdish Kumar Arora through cash and bank accounts. Investigations further show that the bank accounts of close associates of Jagdish Kumar Arora and their relatives were used to transfer the bribe amounts. The close associate of Jagdish Kumar Arora also received bribe in cash.”
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What is the case
The case stems from a First Information Report lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in July 2022, alleging that Arora hatched a conspiracy to award a contract worth approximately Rs 38 crore to NKG Infrastructure Limited.
The FIR stated that Arora was made aware of NKG acquiring false performance certificates to bid for the tender between 2017 and 2019, following which he sent his subordinates to inspect the site and check the authenticity of the allegations.
After the site inspection, a note was prepared to confirm NKG’s ineligibility for the tenders and that their bids should be rejected. However, Arora, the FIR stated, prepared another note in April 2018, making the company eligible for the tender. NKG then bagged the contract.
The CBI booked Arora and his subordinates at the DJB along with NKG Infrastructure Ltd. under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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