Rs 33L bribe case widens: PWD officials under scanner in Jhunjhunu Road alignment racket

Jaipur: A day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) busted a Rs 33 lakh bribery deal linked to a road alignment in Jhunjhunu, the probe has widened to place several senior Public Works Department (PWD) officials and engineers under scrutiny, with the bureau probing a deeper graft racket behind the manipulation of land acquisition.

The bureau identified the arrested accused as executive engineer Rakesh Kumar, posted in Jhunjhunu, and Yakub Ali, a private individual held from Chomu in Jaipur on Friday night.

Both were held by an ACB team led by additional SP Sandeep Sarswat under the supervision of DG Govind Gupta.

Investigators said the bribe was demanded from a complainant on the promise of altering the alignment of a proposed bypass road — a change that would have ensured the complainant’s land was kept out of acquisition.

The project itself traces back to the 2024 state budget, under which bypass roads were announced in eight districts, including Jhunjhunu, to link a national highway with a state highway.

Sources said the complainant’s land did not figure in the first three PWD surveys conducted for acquisition. However, when Yakub Ali allegedly realised the complainant had the capacity to pay a hefty bribe, he is suspected to have colluded with Kumar and other officials to have the land included in the acquisition list — turning a bureaucratic process into a bargaining chip.

The probe has also flagged irregularities in the social impact assessment process, which is mandatory before such projects. Officials said the PWD had engaged an agency for the exercise, with Ali acting as its representative, but key procedures, including proper public grievance hearings, were allegedly bypassed.

“When the complainant approached the engineer for relief, he was told he could run from pillar to post but would eventually have to return,” said an official, adding that Kumar allegedly shared Ali’s contact and instructed the complainant to communicate only via WhatsApp.

Investigators believe the arrested duo were unlikely to have operated in isolation. Early findings have not ruled out the possibility of the involvement of other officials, with the ACB now examining who else may have been part of the scheme.

Sources said that they seized two mobile phones each from the accused and also seized Ali’s laptop.
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