By Inder Vashisth
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior railway official in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh in connection with clearing pending payments related to contract work.
The accused, Narayan Singh Bundela, Deputy Chief Engineer-II (Construction) with the West Central Railway, was apprehended on June 4, 2026, following a complaint filed by a contractor.
According to the CBI, the complainant alleged that Bundela demanded an illegal gratification of ₹1,00,000 for facilitating the release of a security deposit, pending bills, and price variation clause (PVC) dues amounting to approximately ₹1 crore.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the agency registered a case on June 4 and laid a trap the same day. The officer was caught red-handed in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, while demanding and accepting the bribe amount from the complainant.
Subsequent searches led to the recovery of ₹62,000 in unaccounted cash from the accused’s guest house room. Investigators also seized documents purportedly linked to real estate investments, which are being examined as part of the probe.
The accused has been taken into custody and is scheduled to be produced before the competent court in Jabalpur on June 5, 2026.
The investigation is ongoing, with officials probing the possibility of a wider pattern of corruption linked to contract clearances within the department.