New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday searches the premises of former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik and 29 other locations in connection with alleged corruption in the Kiru Hydropower project, officials said.

The agency started its operation in the morning with around 100 officers mobilised to swoop down at 30 locations in multiple cities, they said.

Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019 had claimed he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the project.

“The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project(HEP) to a private company in 2019,” the CBI had had earlier said.

The agency has booked former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd Navin Kumar Chaudhary and other former officials M S Babu, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra and Patel Engineering Ltd.

“Though a decision was taken in 47th Board meeting of CVPPPL (Chenab Valley Power Projects (P) Ltd) for re-tender through e-tendering with reverse auction after cancellation of ongoing tendering process, same was not implemented (as per decision taken in 48th board meeting) and tender was finally awarded to Patel Engineering Ltd,” the FIR has alleged.

The agency had conducted searches at the premises of five people in January in connection with the case.