Ranchi, March 25 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), on Wednesday, apprehended the Chief Commercial Inspector (CCI) of South Eastern Railway in Ranchi, state capital of Jharkhand, in connection with a bribery case.

The accused, identified as Himanshu Shekhar, allegedly demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant.

The case, registered by the CBI on March 25, pertains to allegations that the CCI sought 10 per cent of the complainant’s pending bills, which amounted to nearly Rs 8.7 lakh, in exchange for clearing them.

Acting on the complaint, the central agency laid a trap and caught Shekhar red-handed while accepting the negotiated bribe of Rs 50,000 as the first installment.

Searches are currently underway at both the office and residential premises of the accused.

The investigation is ongoing, and further details are awaited.

This arrest follows a string of recent bribery cases across Jharkhand.

On March 23, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Pritam Acharya, an employee of Deputy Commissioner of the Land Reforms office in Saraikela, and a middleman for allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh as part of a Rs 40 lakh bribe to settle a land compensation case.

The duo was caught in a trap laid by the ACB while the complainant handed over the first installment.

Earlier this month, Jharkhand witnessed multiple such arrests: Niranjan Kumar, a Block Supply Officer in Barharwa (Sahibganj district), was caught on March 19 accepting Rs 50,000 from a Public Distribution System dealer.

On March 17, a Junior Engineer of South Eastern Railway in Bhojudih (Bokaro) was arrested for allegedly taking Rs 15,000.

On March 13, two employees of the District Land Acquisition Office in Deoghar were arrested for seeking commission on compensation related to a Ring Road project.

On March 12, a Sub-Inspector in Koderma and a Panchayat Secretary in Gumla were also apprehended for bribery.

With these operations, Jharkhand has recorded at least eight bribery-related arrests so far this month, highlighting intensified efforts to curb corruption in government services.

–IANS

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