The ACB team brought Agarwal from Delhi to Jaipur, where he was interrogated at the ACB headquarters by DIG Om Prakash Meena.

Agarwal had a warrant issued against him prior to his arrest. In this case, nine officials from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) have already been apprehended. ACB Director General Govind Gupta stated that the investigation, which began in 2024, has led to the arrest of 11 accused, while three others remain at large.

The ACB has uncovered serious irregularities in the tender process related to this scam. Companies such as Ganpati Tubewell and Shyam Tubewell allegedly secured contracts by submitting fake certificates. Despite being aware of these discrepancies, no action was taken by the officials, resulting in tenders worth approximately ₹900 crores being awarded to select companies.

Moreover, mandatory site inspections for projects exceeding ₹50 crores were not conducted, indicating a misuse of power. On February 17, the ACB conducted significant raids at 15 locations across Rajasthan, including Jaipur, Barmer, Jalore, and Sikar, as well as in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi.

The investigation revealed fraudulent billing, financial irregularities, and serious violations of tender regulations. On the same day, a raid was executed at Agarwal’s residence, leading to the arrest of nine PHED officials. A lookout circular was issued against him on February 18, after which he evaded capture for several weeks before finally being arrested.

Reports indicate that Subodh Agarwal was serving as the Additional Chief Secretary in the PHED at the time the alleged scam occurred. According to the ACB, Agarwal and other accused submitted fake completion certificates worth approximately ₹960 crores, resulting in a significant embezzlement case.

In February 2026, the ACB had already arrested nine individuals, including senior engineers and retired officials, in connection with this case. It is noteworthy that the central government launched the Water Life Mission in 2019, aimed at providing clean drinking water through pipelines to every rural household.