The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting searches at 26 locations across 11 states and Union Territories in connection with alleged misappropriation of funds in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The searches cover J&K, Ladakh, Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. The probe is linked to four criminal cases registered after complaints by the Ministry of Defence, following an internal enquiry by BRO’s Technical Board of Officers. The cases relate to alleged irregularities in the deployment of casual labourers and payments allegedly released in the names of “fake” casual labourers in two BRO projects in Ladakh: Project Vijayak and Project Yojak.
The FIRs include allegations involving offences such as misappropriation of government funds, cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, as well as criminal misconduct and bribery under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The CBI states that 10 officers—ranks including Lieutenant Colonel, Major, and Engineer—along with certain private persons, are named in the FIRs. The investigation is continuing, and authorities report recovering incriminating documents and digital evidence during the searches.
