CBI arrests divisional railway manager for taking ₹25 lakh bribe in Mumbai

Saurabh Prasad, a division railway manager (Waltair division) in Visakhapatnam, was arrested after he was trapped by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹25 lakh from a contractor in Mumbai.

This is the second DRM from Andhra Pradesh who has been caught taking bribes in the past four months. The first was Vineet Singh, a DRM from Guntakal division in the South Central Railways, who was caught demanding a bribe.

CBI team sets a trap

Prasad, the DRM, who reportedly demanded ₹25 lakh from the contractor involving a tender related to the mechanical branch, had gone to Mumbai to collect the bribe. This is when he was caught red-handed by the CBI team from Delhi, who was involved in the operation.

The CBI officials searched the DRM’s office in Vizag and seized several documents, said reports.

Earlier case

In July too, CBI officials had arrested a DRM of Guntakal division, Vineet Singh, and five others in a case of alleged bribery involving ₹11 lakh for extending favours in contracts. The CBI had conducted searches in multiple locations, which led to the recovery of “incriminating documents and digital devices”.

The federal agency booked 13 individuals, which included the railway officials, for large-scale corruption in awarding tenders in the Guntakal division.

The CBI had issued a statement at that time that these railway officials were indulging in "corrupt practices" in awarding various tenders under their jurisdiction and clearing the inflated bills of the contractors. DRM Vineet singh had demanded 0.5 per cent of the total tender amount in the form of gold jewellery, the press release had said.

During the investigation, the CBI teams seized a substantial amount of cash from the residences of some of the accused. Approximately ₹7 lakh was recovered from Vineet Singh’s residence, and ₹11 lakh was seized from three other individuals.