5 rail officials among 6 held for graft in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: The Gandhinagar unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested five railway officials, including two from the Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) posted at the Vadodara Division, for allegedly taking money from candidates appearing for departmental examinations, assuring them of selection.

The central agency seized 650 grams of gold and Rs 5 lakh in cash during its searches at 11 locations, including Vadodara, a CBI spokesperson said.

The CBI arrested 2008-batch IRPS officer Sunil Bishnoi, posted as a senior divisional personnel officer in Vadodara; 2018-batch IRPS officer Ankush Wasan, posted as divisional personnel officer in Vadodara; deputy chief commercial manager Sanjay Kumar Tiwari, posted at Mumbai's Churchgate; deputy station superintendent Neeraj Sinha; and nursing superintendent Dinesh Kumar, posted at Divisional Railway Hospital in Ahmedabad. Mukesh Meena, a private individual from Anand, was also arrested for his involvement, the CBI said.

They are accused of collecting bribes from railway employees by ensuring selection in an upcoming 'Limited Departmental Examination' for promotion in the railways.

The action came after the CBI on Tuesday registered an FIR against three Western Railway (WR) officials and a private individual following raids at multiple locations over allegations of bribery linked to departmental examination selections.

CBI investigations revealed that on Feb 13, Wasan directed Tiwari to identify at least ten candidates willing to pay bribes for favourable results. Tiwari contacted Meena, who confirmed collecting money from five candidates. Sinha also informed Tiwari that he found four candidates and collected money from three of them.

On Feb 17, Tiwari approached Rajendra Ladla, proprietor of Dhanraj Jewellers in Vadodara, inquiring about purchasing 400 grams of gold in cash, without an invoice. The following day, Tiwari met Meena in Anand and collected bribe money on behalf of the candidates.

"During the investigation, it is also revealed that a nursing superintendent in the WR was intercepted and 650 grams of gold was found with him, which was obtained by him from the jeweller after payment of around Rs 57 lakh (approx.), and the said gold was to be delivered to the accused senior divisional personnel officer," the CBI statement said.

The FIR has been registered under Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal conspiracy and Sections 7 and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended 2018).

CBI officials said the investigation will focus on uncovering the full extent of the bribery network and identifying other potential beneficiaries and intermediaries. More searches and arrests are likely, they said.


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