Inder Vashisth
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested one more senior railway officer and this time from Vijaywada.. The agency on Sunday arrested Bapiraju, Sr. Section Engineer in the office of the Chief Signal & Telecommunications Engineer (CSTE) Projects, South Central (S.C.) Railway, Vijayawada and a private person Srichand, in a bribery case. The CBI registered the instant case on Sunday against Sr. Section Engineer, four representatives of private companies and Unknown Public Servants and Private Persons, for the alleged demand and acceptance of the bribe. Information was received that the joint venture of two private companies, which had been awarded an Automatic Block Signaling work of Rs. 179.50 Crore by S.C. Railway, claimed a bonus of about Rs. 7 Crore for completing the work before time. Information further revealed that officials of CSTE Projects, S.C. Railway, Vijayawada manipulated/altered the dates pertaining to the bonus file to extend undue favour to the Joint Venture and facilitated approval of the bonus claim. The Managing Director of the private company had informed the accused Sr. Section Engineer that on August 16 and his son would deliver the bribe amount enroute to Vijayawada from Visakhapatnam.
The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused Sr. Section Engineer red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs.15 Lakh from the Private Person, as a reward for sanction and release of the bonus amount to the company of his father. The bribe amount of Rs.15 Lakh was recovered during the trap. Searches are being conducted at the premises of the accused persons at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Pithapuram and Hyderabad. The accused Bapiraju and a private person were arrested. Investigation in the case is continuing.
(Freelance Journalist)
