WR head clerk held for accepting bribe
A Western Railway head clerk was arrested on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh, reports HT Correspondent.
A Western Railway head clerk was arrested on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh.
The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Mahendra Sharma (43) for allegedly demanded a bribe from a railway stall owner to get a Rs 40-lakh penalty imposed by the railways waived off.
The complainant owns 16 stalls at various stations.
Two aides who allegedly helped Mahendra collect the bribe were also arrested, said Deputy Inspector General, CBI, Praveen Salunke.
During contract renewal, stall owners have to pay a deposit to the railways, and if they fail to do so, a penalty is levied.
CBI officials said Mahendra called people who were levied penalties to get the same waived by using his father’s clout.
Mahendra’s father O.L. Sharma (73), who also served the railways, was made Special Liaison Officer for Delhi Metro after retirement and posted at Mumbai’s Churchgate office. He is recuperating at Jagjivan Ram Hospital in Mumbai Central.
CBI said Mahendra would call people from his father’s office to demand bribes for settling dues and getting penalties waived off.
The complainant approached the CBI in the first week of November. When Mahendra called him again, the CBI told the complainant to agree to pay the money on Monday.
Mahendra allegedly asked one Amit Gupta to collect the money on his behalf, but Gupta sent his manager Dagdu Singh to collect the money and take it to Mahendra, who was at the hospital. When Singh gave the money to Mahendra, the officials arrested the two. They later arrested Gupta.
The CBI is investigating if Sharma’s father was an accomplice in the racket.