CBI Arrests 5 in Mumbai Bribery Case After CPWD Engineer Allegedly Demanded Rs 70 Lakh for Wadala Land NOC:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five persons including a Central Public Works Department (CPWD) Executive Engineer in Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a real estate group in a bribery case relating to grant of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC).

The CBI registered the case on October 1, 2026. According to the agency, the CPWD Executive Engineer had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore, which was later reduced to Rs 70 lakh, for issuing an NOC for a plot of land in Wadala, Mumbai. The land was to be used by a real estate group for a construction project.

The bribe was allegedly routed through the engineer's relative, who is a resident of Pune. The CBI laid a trap on October 1 and caught the relative while he was carrying Rs 50 lakh, allegedly accepted from the Vice President of the real estate group on behalf of the engineer.

The Executive Engineer was also arrested at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, where he was allegedly waiting to receive the bribe. A manager of the real estate group and a partner of the firm seeking the NOC were also arrested. In total, all five accused have been taken into custody.

The CBI recovered the Rs 50 lakh bribe amount. The investigation also found that the NOC had allegedly been issued without being entered in the official dispatch register. The accused had allegedly agreed to receive the remaining Rs 20 lakh after a week.

Following the arrests, the CBI conducted searches at several locations in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune linked to the accused and their associates. During the searches, officials recovered around Rs 53.87 lakh in cash, apart from the Rs 50 lakh bribe amount. Documents related to immovable properties and other documents were also seized.

All five arrested accused are being produced before the Special Judge for CBI Cases in Mumbai.