Bengaluru, January 9: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended a Joint Director of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru, in a bribery case involving ₹9.5 lakh, exposing a major alleged corruption racket linked to favourable test reports for electrical equipment.
According to a CBI press release, the agency registered the case on January 8, 2026, against the accused public servant and other private individuals on allegations of collusive corruption. The accused were allegedly demanding and accepting bribes for issuing favourable test reports in respect of electrical equipment manufactured by M/s Sudhir Group of Companies.
Trap and Arrest
Following the registration of the FIR, the CBI laid a trap operation and apprehended the Joint Director of CPRI along with an executive of the private company while transacting the bribe amount of ₹9.5 lakh on January 9, 2026, in Bengaluru.

Searches and Massive Recovery
During searches conducted at the residence of the public servant, the CBI recovered huge quantities of cash and foreign currency, besides jewellery and incriminating documents.
The recoveries include:
- ₹3.59 crore in cash
- Foreign currency comprising US Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars, Singapore Dollars, Indonesian Rupiah, Malaysian Ringgit, Euro, Yuan (Renminbi), Swedish Krona and UAE Dirham, collectively valued at approximately ₹40.58 lakh
With further searches, the total recovery has gone up to about ₹3.76 crore so far, including foreign currency.
Investigation Ongoing
The CBI said that search operations are continuing and that the investigation into the case is in progress to ascertain the full extent of the alleged corruption and identify other individuals involved.
The case marks a significant crackdown on alleged corruption in technical certification and testing processes at a premier central government research institute.
