Mumbai: CBI Arrests Three, Including Railway Officials, In Alleged Rs 30,000 Bribery Case Linked To Rail-Coach Manufacturing

Mumbai, 10th October 2024: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Mumbai has apprehended three individuals, including two railway officials from a rail-coach manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh, in connection with an alleged bribery case. The arrests followed a complaint from a Mumbai-based businessman, who supplies medical products, pharmacy items, and safety goggles.

The railway officials, stationed at the Modern Coach Factory (MCF) in Raebareli, had reportedly demanded a bribe of ₹30,000 from the businessman. They had been in contact with him since June, offering to expedite the clearance of his products, which were linked to a railway purchase order. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the businessman reported the matter to the CBI’s anti-corruption branch.

The CBI set up a trap in which the businessman transferred ₹30,000, meant for the two railway officials, to a private individual following the officials’ instructions. The CBI arrested all three in Raebareli. The individuals taken into custody were Ranjeet, chief depot material superintendent at MCF; Arvind, a ward officer at MCF; and a private individual named Rinku Kumar.

The two railway officials reportedly confirmed receipt of the bribe. The trio was produced in a Raebareli court, where they were granted transit remand before being transferred to a Special CBI Court in Mumbai. They were remanded to police custody until Friday. During searches at their homes and offices in Raebareli, incriminating documents were discovered, according to CBI sources.

The CBI had previously registered a case against the three, citing sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act, based on the businessman’s complaint.

According to the businessman, his firm received a purchase order in June from MCF to supply two types of safety goggles. The accused officials allegedly demanded a bribe for approving the items supplied in response to the online tender. After the businessman refused to pay, he received a letter on August 28 rejecting one of the items. The officials allegedly continued to pressure him for bribes to approve the materials supplied by his company.