Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested three persons for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 2.40 crore from a contractor by promising to help clear a pending government payment of over Rs 17 crore under a PMGSY road project, officials said.
The accused have been identified as Toluk Lombi, Dubi Ete and Rajesh Kumar Singh, Naharlagun Superintendent of Police Nyelam Nega said.
The case came to light after the contractor approached police with complaint alleging that the trio had demanded Rs 2.40 crore, claiming they could facilitate the release of his long-pending payment.
According to police, the accused allegedly claimed that Singh had influential contacts at the Centre and could use those connections to get the outstanding bill cleared.
The contractor was subsequently given a letter purportedly confirming that the payment had been approved.
However, when he approached the office of the chief engineer of the Rural Works Department (RWD), he was informed that the document was fake, police said.
A case was registered at Naharlagun police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
During the investigation, Singh approached the court seeking cancellation of the FIR. His plea was rejected on August 13, allowing the police to proceed with the investigation.
A police team later travelled to Guwahati and arrested Singh on August 25. He was subsequently remanded to six days of police custody, the SP said.
Police are continuing their investigation to establish the sequence of events and determine the individual roles of the three accused.
Nega also urged contractors and members of the public to verify claims made by individuals who demand money in exchange for using alleged government connections to secure official clearances or release payments.