Investigations Reveal Money Trail in Delhi Water Board STP Tender Fraud

New Delhi, 18 August – A detailed probe by Delhi's Anti‑Corruption Branch has unveiled a complex financial web behind the alleged fraud in the Delhi Jal Board's sewage‑treatment‑plant tender. Six individuals have been arrested, among them former water minister Satinder Kumar Jain, ex‑DJB chief Udit Prakash Rai, and former contractual consultant Ankit Srivastava, along with three private‑company owners.

The action follows FIR No. 10/2024 lodged after a vigilance complaint from the G.N.C.T.D. The charges are framed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (sections 7, 7A, 9, 13) and the Indian Penal Code (sections 420, 409, 418, 120‑B).

Investigators found that the tender's technical requirements were deliberately edited to benefit Makers Eurotech Environment Private Ltd. Crucial elements such as a pilot study, strict media‑related clauses, and mandatory water‑quality benchmarks were either removed or softened, inflating costs and limiting market competition.

Electronic logs confirm that the altered specifications and supporting certificates were circulated among private stakeholders and select officials before being embedded in the official DJB tender notice, suggesting a concerted effort to tilt the process.

Financial tracking exposed that intermediary firms – Makers Srijanhar and Makers AN Enterprises – acted as conduits for kickbacks. An amount of ₹1.52 crore was moved from the technology provider's accounts to the bank accounts of former DJB CEO Udit Prakash Rai and his relatives, purportedly for real‑estate acquisition.

The ACB has stated that a comprehensive forensic audit of the proceeds of crime and related money‑trail is in progress, and further legal steps will follow the interrogation of all arrested persons.