CBI raid at DRM office: Woman rly official caught taking bribe

The CBI had received five complaints alleging corruption in the renovation of small and major railway stations under the project, say sources

LUCKNOW The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday raided the Divisional Railway Manager’s (DRM) office at Hazratganj in Lucknow and caught a woman railway official red-handed while accepting a bribe.

Sources said three other individuals had also been taken into custody and were being interrogated in connection with the case. (Pic for representation)

The accused, Anjum Nisha, a clerk posted in the engineering section of the North Eastern Railway’s Lucknow division, is associated with the Gati Shakti project. She allegedly demanded a bribe from a contractor for clearing a pending bill, said sources in the agency.

According to agency sources, the CBI had received five complaints alleging corruption in the renovation of small and major railway stations under the project. The estimated budgets ranged from ₹5 crore for minor stations to ₹10 crore for larger ones. Once the complaints were verified, the Delhi-based CBI team, in coordination with their Lucknow counterparts, launched the operation.

Mission Gati Shakti is a flagship government initiative aimed at transforming transport infrastructure.

The CBI laid a trap, acting on a complaint filed by the contractor. Around 4pm, the contractor handed over an envelope containing cash to Nisha just outside the DRM office. As soon as she accepted the envelope, officials arrested her on the spot.

The team remained on the premises until late evening, questioning multiple staff members linked to the project. Sources said three other individuals had also been taken into custody and were being interrogated in connection with the case. The CBI was probing whether a larger bribery network was operating within the Gati Shakti infrastructure division. Railway officials remained tight-lipped and refused to comment on the development.