Western Railway head clerk held while accepting bribe

The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a head clerk of the Western Railway while accepting a bribe of Rs2 lakh on Monday. Four others who connived with him have also been arrested. The clerk, SH Mahendra Kumar, promised a vendor that he would waive off Rs40 lakh the vendor owed to the railways as penalty, if he could cough up a bribe.

To convince the vendor, Kumar boasted of his father’s connections in New Delhi and Mumbai. Kumar’s father is a public relations officer of the special metro rail project.
A deal of Rs8 lakh was struck between the two. However, the vendor approached the ACB and Kumar was arrested.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that six people connived with Kumar and asked vendors to cough up bribes by promising no action or lenient action by the railways.
Based on evidence, four accomplices were arrested by the CBI. Identified as Amit Gupta, Dudhlal Singh, Dadhu Singh and Nikhil Patra, all have been remanded in police custody till November 21.

“The complainant owes Rs40 lakh to the railways,” said Pravin Salunkhe, superintendent of police, ACB, CBI.

The vendor owned several stalls between Churchgate and Virar. “Kumar would often use his father’s office at Churchgate to operate,” said a senior CBI officer. “This instilled a sense of fear among vendors,” he said.

Three teams of the CBI are conducting raids in Kumar’s house in the western suburbs, his office and his native village in Uttar Pradesh. “Prima facie, it seems to be a big racket where several people, including senior officials, could be involved. More arrests are likely in a couple of days,” added the officer.