CBI arrests CPWD Mumbai engineer, kin in ₹50 lakh NOC bribe case
Synopsis
The CBI caught a CPWD Mumbai executive engineer red-handed in a ₹50 lakh bribery operation — arresting him, his Pune-based relative, and three officials of a real estate firm that needed a clean-chit NOC on a South Mumbai land parcel. Notably, the NOC had already been issued without any official dispatch record, exposing a deeper paper trail the agency is now untangling.
Key Takeaways
CBI arrested five people on 1–2 October 2025 in a ₹50 lakh bribery case involving a CPWD NOC in South Mumbai .
Vikrant Verma , Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai , is the primary accused; his relative Saurav Gupta was caught carrying the bribe cash.
The original demand was ₹1 crore , later negotiated to ₹70 lakh ; ₹50 lakh was paid upfront with ₹20 lakh due in a week.
The NOC for land at Antop Hill was issued without any entry in the official dispatch register .
Searches across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune yielded an additional ₹53.87 lakh in cash plus immovable property documents.
Charges include offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 .
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 2 October 2025 arrested five people — including Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai — in a ₹50 lakh bribery case tied to the illegal issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel at Antop Hill, South Mumbai. The arrests follow a CBI trap operation carried out on Thursday, 1 October, in which the agency intercepted the bribe mid-transfer.
Who Was Arrested
Those taken into custody include Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma's relative based in Pune; Arvind Semwal, Vice President of Baya Company, a Mumbai-based real estate firm; and a manager and partner of the firm that was seeking the NOC. The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, 2 October.
How the Bribe Was Structured
According to the CBI's FIR, the real estate firm sought an NOC from CPWD Mumbai confirming that the department had no claim over a plot at Antop Hill, which would have enabled the company to proceed with a construction project on the land. It was alleged that Verma initially demanded ₹1 crore for the NOC, subsequently reducing it to ₹70 lakh, with communications routed through his relative Gupta.
The FIR notes that on 30 September, Gupta and Verma discussed arrangements in which Gupta would collect the cash near a mall opposite the L&T building in Navi Mumbai before departing for Pune. The CBI laid a trap the following day and apprehended Gupta while he was in possession of ₹50 lakh accepted from Semwal on behalf of the Executive Engineer. Verma was simultaneously apprehended at Vashi, Navi Mumbai, where he had been waiting to receive the money.
NOC Issued Without Official Record
A particularly serious detail flagged by the CBI is that the NOC was reportedly issued without any entry in the dispatch register — meaning the document was produced outside official channels in exchange for the bribe. According to the agency, the agreed total was ₹70 lakh, with ₹50 lakh paid upfront and the remaining ₹20 lakh to follow within a week.
Charges and Searches
The accused have been booked under Sections 7, 7A, 8, 11, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, covering criminal conspiracy, bribery, obtaining undue advantage, and abetment. CBI Superintendent of Police Amit Vasava approved registration of the FIR.
Searches conducted at multiple premises across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune led to the recovery of approximately ₹53.87 lakh in additional cash — separate from the ₹50 lakh bribe amount — along with documents related to immovable properties. The construction firm, which has its registered office at Orbit Plaza, New Prabhadevi Road, Mumbai, is represented by partners Vilas Kharche and Anil Deshmukh.
What Happens Next
The case underscores a pattern of CBI operations targeting mid-level government functionaries who act as gatekeepers for construction approvals in Mumbai's densely regulated real estate market. With the accused now in judicial custody and searches yielding additional cash and property documents, investigators are likely to examine whether the nexus extends beyond the five arrested. A charge sheet is expected to follow formal interrogation.
Point of View
Extracting rents through a sanitised intermediary chain. The fact that the NOC was issued without a dispatch register entry suggests this was not a first offence but a practised workflow. The CBI's recovery of nearly ₹54 lakh in additional cash — beyond the bribe itself — raises the question of how many other NOCs or clearances were similarly traded. The broader issue is systemic: until CPWD and equivalent bodies introduce tamper-proof digital trails for all clearance issuances, the human bottleneck will remain a corruption vector.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who did the CBI arrest in the Mumbai CPWD bribery case?
The CBI arrested five people: Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer of CPWD Mumbai; his relative Saurav Gupta from Pune; Arvind Semwal, Vice President of Baya Company; and a manager and partner of the real estate firm seeking the NOC. All were produced before a Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on 2 October 2025.
What was the bribe for in the CPWD Mumbai case?
The bribe was demanded in exchange for issuing a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel at Antop Hill, South Mumbai. The NOC was needed to confirm that CPWD had no claim over the plot, which would allow Baya Company to proceed with a construction project there.
How much bribe money was involved, and how was it structured?
The Executive Engineer initially demanded ₹1 crore, which was negotiated down to ₹70 lakh. An upfront payment of ₹50 lakh was made, with the remaining ₹20 lakh to be paid a week later. The CBI intercepted the ₹50 lakh during a trap operation on 1 October 2025.
What additional recoveries did the CBI make during searches?
Searches at premises across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Pune led to the recovery of approximately ₹53.87 lakh in additional cash — separate from the ₹50 lakh bribe amount — along with documents related to immovable properties.
What charges have been filed against the accused?
The accused have been charged under Sections 7, 7A, 8, 11, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The charges cover criminal conspiracy, bribery, taking undue advantage, influencing a public servant by corrupt means, and abetment.
