New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five individuals, including the Deputy Chief Engineer of the Gati Shakti Unit, Northern Railway, Lucknow, in connection with a major bribery scandal.

The arrests were made during a probe into alleged corruption related to a railway project under the Gati Shakti scheme in Bhadohi, Varanasi.

Among those arrested are the Deputy Chief Engineer, a Senior Section Engineer (SSE) of Drawings, an Office Superintendent (OS) of Northern Railway in Lucknow, and two private individuals employed by a railway contractor company.

The accused have been remanded to judicial custody by the Special CBI Court in Lucknow till July 28. The case, registered on July 14, involves several railway officials from Northern and North Eastern Railways, including officers posted in Varanasi and Lucknow.

CBI investigations revealed that the private company, a contractor working on a sanctioned railway project, was allegedly offering bribes in exchange for favourable official actions. On July 14, one of the accused private employees was caught red-handed delivering bribes to the Dy Chief Engineer and other officials.

CBI recovered Rs. 2.50 lakh from the Dy Chief Engineer’s possession and Rs. 80,000 from the Office Superintendent, a portion of which was allegedly intended for the SSE (Drawings).

Following the arrests, the CBI conducted searches at 11 locations—four in Lucknow, six in Varanasi, and one in Ghaziabad. Several incriminating documents and materials were recovered during the raids, strengthening the case.

An Assistant Executive Engineer (XEN) of Northern Railway, who reportedly received Rs 2.75 lakh in bribes, remains absconding.

The CBI is actively pursuing leads to trace and apprehend him. The investigation is ongoing, and the CBI has indicated that more arrests and revelations are likely as the case unfolds.

–IANS

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