Nov 21 (Reuters) - Gautam Adani, the billionaire chair

of Indian conglomerate Adani Group and one of the world's

richest people, has been indicted in New York over his role in

an alleged multibillion-dollar bribery and fraud scheme,

according to U.S. prosecutors.

Authorities said Adani and seven other defendants, including

his nephew Sagar Adani, agreed to pay about $265 million in

bribes to Indian government officials to obtain contracts

expected to yield $2 billion of profit over 20 years, and

develop India's largest solar power plant project.

Fallout for the Adani empire was immediate.

Adani Green Energy cancelled plans on Thursday to

raise $600 million in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds, according

to four sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The bond

had been priced but was pulled following the news.

Adani Green Energy did not immediately respond to a request

for comment on the shelved transaction.

In early Asian trading on Thursday, Adani dollar bonds

slumped, with prices down between 3-5c on bonds for Adani Ports

and Special Economic Zone. The falls were the

largest since the Adani Group came under a short-seller attack

in February 2023.

The Adani Group has not responded to requests for comment on

the indictment.