Assam: CBI arrests two in Rs 7 lakh bribery case involving Oil India Ltd official and private company

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two individuals, including a senior executive from Oil India Limited (OIL) in Assam and a top official of a Noida-based private firm, in connection with a Rs 7 lakh bribery scandal linked to contract awards and bill clearances.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Prayas Chakravorty, Deputy General Manager at Oil India Limited, Duliajan, Assam, and Jyoti Kumar Singh, Deputy General Manager (Sales & Marketing) at M/s United Drilling Tools Ltd, Noida. Both were apprehended after a CBI operation that caught them red-handed while exchanging bribe money and documents related to gold purchases allegedly acquired through corrupt means.

The federal agency registered the case on May 3 against four accused—Chakravorty, Singh, Kunal Gupta (Managing Director of United Drilling Tools), the private firm itself, and unknown public servants. Investigations reveal that the accused colluded to manipulate contract awards and clearances for private contractors and suppliers, leading to significant unlawful gains and a financial blow to the Union Exchequer.

According to the CBI, Chakravorty had initially demanded 70 grams of gold ornaments for himself and other officials as a quid pro quo for favoring the private firm in contract matters. When Singh failed to deliver the gold, he arranged ₹7 lakh in cash instead. A portion of this amount—₹3.73 lakh—was allegedly used by Chakravorty to purchase gold coins from a Noida shop, while the remaining ₹3.34 lakh was retained in cash.

Acting on a tip-off, the CBI set up a trap operation, leading to the seizure of the bribe money and gold purchase records from Chakravorty. Both he and Singh were taken into custody and are slated to appear before the Special CBI Judge in Ghaziabad today.

Further raids at locations associated with the accused in Delhi, Noida, Dibrugarh, and Tinsukia resulted in the recovery of over Rs 30 lakh in cash, gold jewellery suspected to be bribe proceeds, mobile phones, and incriminating documents.

While Chakravorty and Singh remain in custody, the probe continues against Kunal Gupta, the Noida-based firm, and other unidentified public servants, as the CBI deepens its investigation into this high-profile corruption racket.