Guwahati, July 24: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an assistant professor of the College of Agriculture, Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh, and a private supplier for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh in exchange for awarding supply contracts at inflated rates.
The accused, Pavankumar Goudar, was arrested on Wednesday while accepting a bribe of Rs 55,000 from supplier Anand Kumar Dwivedi, proprietor of Matrix Solution. According to the CBI, Goudar had previously received Rs 1.95 lakh from Dwivedi in May 2025 for similar favours.
The CBI registered a case following a tip-off about a criminal conspiracy between Goudar, Dwivedi, and unknown individuals, aimed at causing financial loss to the college. The agency revealed that Goudar awarded inflated contracts, including a recent deal for supplying 30 Milton buckets. The total contract value was set at Rs 75,000, despite the actual market value being Rs 36,000.
The FIR states that Goudar demanded a bribe of Rs 39,000 as the inflated difference, in addition to a pending bribe of Rs 24,000 from earlier transactions, totaling Rs 63,000. Dwivedi agreed to pay Rs 55,000, and a trap was laid.
On July 21, Goudar reminded Dwivedi of the pending payment and insisted on receiving the bribe by July 24. Both individuals were caught red-handed during the transaction.
The CBI has registered a regular case under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). The investigation is being handled by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Guwahati.
