Overview
- The CBI arrested KK Soni after a Saturday sting that caught him accepting the remaining Rs 53,000 allegedly demanded to clear a contractor’s pending bills.
- A contractor firm supervisor filed the complaint and had paid a Rs 40,000 part-payment on July 3, saying Soni demanded a total of Rs 93,000 to pass the bills.
- Investigators recovered the earlier Rs 40,000 from Soni’s MES residence and seized about Rs 10 lakh in additional unaccounted cash during ongoing searches.
- Soni is to be produced before the competent court in Shimla on July 5 and the CBI says further probe is continuing to identify any wider links or irregularities.
- The case highlights corruption risks in bill processing for defence-related works because MES officers clear contractor payments and investigators will check if this was isolated wrongdoing or a broader pattern.