A contractor who was arrested in an alleged scam in the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) has revealed that he had paid a bribe of Rs 80 lakh to officials for releasing payment against his bills.

The accused, Manoj Duhan of Duhan Electrical Works Private Limited, got contract worth nearly Rs 250 crore last year. He was allegedly hand in glove with DHBVN officials in perpetrating a scam of Rs 18.70 crore in implementing a scheme which was meant to strengthen and improve the distribution system in the rural and urban areas of the state.

The police arrested Duhan on Sunday and took him on police remand. During his four-day interrogation, police sources said that he had spilled the beans about the officials who used to get hefty bribes for releasing payments to him. Duhan revealed that he paid bribe to officials even after the scam came to light in August this year. The sources revealed that he had paid about Rs 80 lakh as bribe or commission to the officials for release of the payment of Rs 18.70 crore.

However, DSP Amarjeet Singh said that disclosures of the accused were being verified. He said that Duhan had been sent to the judicial custody two days ago and they were trying to arrest another co-accused Ravi who is absconding.