Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Narayan Singh Bundela, Deputy Chief Engineer-II (Construction) of West Central Railway for accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a contractor. The arrest has triggered a major stir within the Engineering Department of West Central Railway headquarters in Jabalpur. According to CBI, a case was registered on June 4 following a complaint from a contractor who charged that Bundela had demanded bribe of Rs 1 lakh for releasing of a security deposit, pending bills and Price Variation Clause (PVC) dues amounting to nearly Rs 1 crore related to completed contract work. After verifying the complaint, CBI laid a trap in Sagar and caught the accused officer red-handed while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant on the night of June 4. Sources said the contractor had approached Railway authorities for the release of his security deposit and outstanding payments. The accused officer demanded Rs 1 lakh in exchange for processing the payments. The contractor subsequently reported the matter to the CBI, which initiated surveillance and planned a trap.

 

The transaction took place at a hotel in Sagar, where the contractor handed over the bribe amount to Bundela. CBI officials, who were monitoring the meeting, immediately apprehended the officer after the exchange. Following the arrest, the agency conducted searches at the accused officer’s premises. During a search of his guest house room, investigators recovered Rs 62,000 in unaccounted cash. Searches at his residence also led to seizure of documents related to investments in real estate, which are being examined as a part of the investigation. Bundela, who is posted in Bhopal and is responsible for construction-related engineering works in sections including Katni-Bina was brought to Jabalpur after his arrest for producing him before the court. According to CBI, the investigation is going on and further scrutiny is being carried out to determine whether similar demands were made in other railway contracts. Officials are also examining the financial records and recovered documents to establish the extent of the alleged corruption.