The Central Bureau of Investigation has accelerated its inquiry into alleged irregularities surrounding manpower and security services tenders valued at around 200 crore rupees across multiple departments under the Chandigarh administration. Over the weekend, the agency questioned two individuals, including firm operator Sandeep Malik, uncovering several key leads. Starting Monday, investigative teams will inspect the offices of the concerned departments to review tender allocations along with submitted experience and performance certificates. The scrutiny centers on three operators across four firms—Sandeep Malik, Rekha, and Satish Kumar—alongside unnamed government officials suspected of facilitating contracts through fraudulent credentials and extending pacts improperly. The federal probe stems from an FIR registered on October 13, 2026, following a complaint lodged on September 29, 2026, by Ranjit Mishra, president of the Education Department Group D Employees Union. Led by DSP Prakash Chand, the agency has conducted raids across residential and commercial premises, seizing laptops and computers. Preliminary findings indicate that forged experience credentials, manipulated performance certificates, and fabricated technical submissions were uploaded onto the Government e-Marketplace portal to capture high-value contracts.
Alleged Manipulation in GMSH-16 Manpower Tender
A major focus of the CBI investigation is the 25 crore rupee manpower outsourcing contract for BSc nursing staff at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, which was floated in November 2025. Although 392 firms submitted competitive bids on the GeM portal, 389 participants were declared ineligible during technical screening. Only three entities belonging to the same family were cleared after presenting certificates showing past manpower execution worth roughly 75 crore rupees. The contract was subsequently awarded to A2Z Manpower and Security Service, an entity operated by Sandeep Malik. CBI verification has established that the experience certificates submitted to qualify for the bid were fabricated. Furthermore, the agency is examining the earlier term served by Jaharveer Manpower and Security Services, which handled the identical assignment for two years prior to this award, to assess whether the documentation submitted during that tenure was similarly fraudulent.
Multiple Departmental Contracts Under Active Scrutiny
Federal investigators have broadened the scope of the inquiry to cover procurement files across several other administrative branches. Scrutiny has extended to a 9 crore rupee manpower and security tender at Model Jail Burail, where verification of submitted paperwork is underway. Similar checks have commenced regarding the allocation of contracts surpassing 20 crore rupees across the Sports Department and the Social Welfare Department. The tendering process at the Post Graduate Government College for Girls in Sector 42 has also drawn regulatory scrutiny. In that instance, 195 vendors applied for a contract exceeding 3 crore rupees, yet evaluations concluded with only three companies linked to a single household being declared eligible for the assignment.
Questionable Extensions of Expired 15 Crore Contracts
The CBI is equally investigating instances where contracts valued at around 15 crore rupees were prolonged for a year or more following the expiration of their original operational deadlines. At Model Jail Burail, authorities are reviewing an extension allegedly granted for one year by a PCS officer acting independently. Jail Superintendent Pramod Kumar had previously submitted an independent complaint to the CBI regarding the renewal, a matter currently pending before another DSP that may now merge into the ongoing case. Investigators are also reviewing an extension granted for over a year to a firm connected with Sandeep Malik’s family within the Sports Department, valued at over 15 crore rupees. Legal guidelines under the GeM framework expressly limit contract prolongations beyond three months. The inquiry will establish whether departmental officials bypassed mandatory retendering protocols to favor select private operators.
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