A relative of the main accused was caught red-handed receiving the bribe by the CBI.

The CBI has arrested two senior National Projects Construction Company (NPCC) officials and five others on charges of corruption and irregularities in a Rs 60-crore project involving the construction of Border Security Force outposts in Assam.

NPCC Zonal Manager Rakesh Mohan Kotwal and Manager Latiful Pasha are accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from Anish Baid - owner of the Shree Gautam Construction Company Limited - in return for processing bills related to construction of border outposts in the northeastern state. The others taken into custody have been been identified as Binod Singhi and Ramesh Kumar, both employees of the firm; Sunil Kumar, a relative of Kotwal; and one Dharmendra Kumar.

According to news agency PTI, Sunil Kumar was collecting Rs 25 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe from Ramesh Kumar at a hotel in New Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave when CBI officials caught them red-handed on a tip-off. The others were arrested on the basis of information provided by the two.

Raids were then conducted at 18 locations across Delhi, Silchar, Jalpaiguri, Guwahati and Gwalior, leading to the recovery of several incriminating documents and articles against the accused. The role of an Assamese businessman, identified as Vinit Agrawal, has also come under the CBI's scanner for his alleged role in arranging the cash transfer, the news agency said.

According to the news agency, the two NPCC officials initially demanded Rs 33 lakh from Anish Baid as a bribe. The construction firm owner had also deposited a sum of Rs 3 lakh with employees at their office in Silchar earlier this month, it added.

(With inputs from PTI)