The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior manager of corporate communications employed with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Limited for allegedly demanding and accepting ₹8 lakh in bribe from an advertising company official.
The accused has been identified as Vijay Kumar, who was posted at the NTPC’s Delhi office.
“We are deeply concerned by the allegations of bribery involving one of our employees. The alleged incident is an individual act and does not reflect on the values of our organisation. Meanwhile, the employee has been suspended from the rolls of the company with immediate effect,” the NTPC said on Friday.
The CBI registered the case on a complaint from the vice-president of the advertising company alleging that Mr. Kumar was demanding bribes for passing a bill raised by the company.
The company had installed booths in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry in January-February 2024, on behalf of the NTPC. After completion of the work, a company official visited the Delhi office of NTPC to submit a proforma invoice of about ₹40 lakh and met the accused, who refused to accept it saying that work completion certificates had not been enclosed.
The certificates were to be issued from the local authorities in the Andaman & Nicobar and the Puducherry administration. The local authorities informed a company representative that for the issuance of work completion certificates, they would require an email/call from the NTPC.
“Accordingly, the complainant contacted the accused and requested him to help the company in communicating to the local authorities about the work completion certificate,” the agency said, alleging that Mr. Kumar demanded ₹6 lakh to facilitate smooth clearance of the bill.
As alleged, Mr. Kumar enhanced his demand of undue advantage to ₹9.25 lakh. Following negotiations, the amount was scaled down to ₹8 lakh. The accused flew to Mumbai to collect the money and was arrested red-handed.
