Six, including three railway officials arrested in bribery case

The CBI on July 31 had registered a case against a 1996 batch IRTS officer, currently posted as CFTM in ECR’s headquarters in Bihar’s Hajipur, two senior DOMs , a director of a private company, and others on the allegations that they used to collect illegal gratification from ECR vendors for preferential allotment of railway racks for loading goods.

PATNA: Six persons, including three railway officials, were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday from four different places--Hajipur, Somepur, Samastipur and Kolkata - in a ₹6 lakh bribery case, officials familiar with the development said, adding that a sum of ₹46.50 lakh was also recovered from their possession.

A sum of ₹46.50 lakh was also recovered from their possession, officials said. (Picture for representation)

According to the officials, the arrested railway officials have been identified as chief freight transportation manager (CFTM) Sanjay Kumar, and two senior divisional operating managers (DOMs), Rupesh Kumar and Sachin Mishra.

“Three businessmen, including two from Kolkata and one from West Bengal’s North Dinajpur, have also been arrested,” officials said.

The CBI on Monday arrested six persons including three railway officials—-chief freight transportation manager (CFTM), two senior divisional operating managers (Sr DOMs)—-in a bribery case of ₹6 lakh. The investigating agency recovered ₹46.50 lakh from their possession, said officials familiar with the development.

CBI officials familiar with the matter said that all the accused have been sent to judicial custody.

According to officials, raids were conducted at 16 locations, including Patna, Sonpur, Hajipur, Samastipur, and Kolkata, which led to the recovery of various incriminating documents and cash worth Rs. 46.50 lakh. A sum of Rs. 29 lakh was seized from a businessman in Kolkata. One SUV with six envelopes containing the cash to be delivered to various officers of the East Central Railway (ECR) was also recovered.

The CBI on July 31 had registered a case against a 1996 batch IRTS officer, currently posted as CFTM in ECR’s headquarters in Bihar’s Hajipur, two senior DOMs of Samastipur and Sonpur railway divisions (both 2011 batch IRTS officers), a director of a private company, and others on the allegations that the accused used to collect illegal gratification from ECR vendors for preferential allotment of railway racks for loading goods.

It was further alleged that the director of a private company based in Kolkata was hand-in-gloves with public servants of ECR, and regularly avails out of turn and priority allotment of railway rack services, and other undue advantages in exchange of payment of huge bribes on monthly basis to the ECR officials. It was also alleged that the said the director asked his brother (private person) to send Rs. 23.5 lakh meant to be delivered to various ECR officers.