Hyderabad, April 19 (IANS) A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) caught three bank officials, including the chief manager, red-handed in Andhra Pradesh’s Eluru district while taking a bribe, officials said.

Those arrested for taking Rs 25,000 bribe included the chief manager, Clerk-cum-cashier and gold appraiser, all staff of the Indian Bank branch in Eluru.

According to a press statement by the investigative agency, the arrested staff were identified as Banavatu Nagu, Chief Manager, Annumalasetty N. Kumarm, Clerk-Cum-Cashier and Krishna Prasad, Gold Appraiser.

They were caught and taken into custody on Saturday by the CBI officials, after they were found demanding and accepting Rs 25,000 bribe from the complainant.

The CBI registered the case after the accused complained that they were being arm-twisted and forced to pay Rs 25,000 for getting approval on the sanctioned CC limit.

The complainant, who runs an auto agency in Eluru, was sanctioned an OCC limit of Rs 50 lakh by Indian Bank, Narasimharaopeta Branch, Eluru, for the smooth running of his day-to-day business, and he has been using the said limit as per his requirements.

According to the complaint, the victim had gone to Rajasthan for some work last month, during which he was contacted by bank officials claiming that the Auditor had come to the Bank and raised some technical glitches, due to which the limit of his account would be reduced from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, or it would be turned NPA.

When the complainant asked for reasons, the accused Chief Manager demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000, @ Rs 1,000 per lakh, to continue the smooth running of his aforesaid account. After negotiation, the accused Chief Manager agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 30,000.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused Chief Manager, Clerk-Cum-Cashier and Gold Appraiser while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.

All three accused persons were arrested and produced before a court in Vijayawada.

–IANS

mr/uk