CBI Arrests Three Railway Officials in Bribery Cases Across Mumbai, Varanasi, Howrah
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three railway officials, including an IRCTC employee, in separate bribery cases in Mumbai, Varanasi, and Howrah, as part of its ongoing efforts to curb corruption in the railway sector.
On July 22, the CBI arrested a senior executive of the IRCTC West Zone Office in Mumbai and the director of Kolkata-based Araha Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. in a bribery case. According to the agency, the IRCTC official allegedly conspired with the private company director to obtain undue advantage as a reward for improper and dishonest discharge of his duties.
The CBI alleged that the IRCTC official accepted bribes of Rs 1.98 lakh on April 21 and Rs 2 lakh on June 8, 2026. The money was allegedly deposited in cash into the official's Punjab National Bank account by an associate of the company's director in exchange for helping clear pending bills submitted by Araha Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
During the investigation, both accused were confronted at the IRCTC West Zone Office in Mumbai over the alleged demand and acceptance of a bribe worth Rs 3.98 lakh. The director of the private company was found carrying a bag containing Rs 4.49 lakh in cash, along with an additional Rs 13,200, which was seized by the agency. Incriminating WhatsApp chats were found on their mobile phones, and relevant files and bills were also seized. Searches at their residences led to seizure of incriminating documents. Both accused were arrested on July 22, 2026, and produced before the Special Court, which granted police custody until July 27, 2026.
On July 23, the CBI arrested the Senior Divisional Materials Manager (Sr. DMM) of North Eastern Railway (NER) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, in a separate bribery case. The case was registered based on a complaint from the owner of a GeM-registered private firm that had supplied furniture worth Rs 9.47 lakh to the railway official's office between February and June 2026, but had received only part payment.
The railway official allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1.70 lakh on July 15 in exchange for releasing pending payments and processing further payments. He also allegedly threatened that the complainant's firm would not be awarded further contracts if the bribe was not paid. The CBI laid a trap on July 23 and caught the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe. The accused was arrested and produced before the Competent Court in Lucknow, which remanded him to judicial custody until August 7, 2026. Investigation is continuing.
On July 25, the CBI arrested the Deputy Chief Signal & Telecommunication Engineer of South Eastern Railway's Chakradharpur Division, along with two representatives of Kolkata-based MRT Signals Ltd., in a third bribery case. The case was registered on July 24, alleging that the railway official conspired with the company's representatives to receive bribes in exchange for extending undue favours in processing and approval of contract variation files under the Price Variation Clause (PVC) and other signal and telecommunication works in the Chakradharpur Division.
According to the CBI, the official had earlier accepted Rs 5 lakh in May 2026 for processing the files. The agency laid a trap and caught the accused while accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh. The accused were arrested and produced before the court. Further investigation is underway.
