Ranchi, Aug 28 (IANS) A Special CBI Court in Ranchi on Friday sent three officials of a local CISF Pay & Accounts Office to three days’ custody of the probe agency for interrogation in connection with taking a bribe of Rs 48,000 for releasing payments against bills submitted by other employees.

On the prayer of the CBI, the Court granted three days’ police custody remand of all three accused for interrogation and to ascertain the involvement of other officials.

During searches conducted at five premises of the accused persons on Thursday, several incriminating materials including digital devices, documents relating to acquisition of properties, investments, jewellery, and bank transactions were seized. In addition, substantial cash amounts were also recovered, the CBI said.

The CBI arrested the senior accounts officer and two assistant accounts officers of the Regional Pay & Accounts Office, CISF, Ranchi, for demanding and taking a bribe of over Rs 48,000 from a constable, a statement said.

The trio had demanded the bribe from the constable for releasing payment against various allowance bills of his unit’s colleagues, the official statement said.

The CBI identified the arrested as Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto and assistant accounts officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh.

The CBI registered the instant case on Wednesday against the three accused public servants.

It was alleged that the accused officials demanded a bribe from the complainant, Head Constable, CISF, NTPC, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to process and pay various bills, including Travelling Allowance (TA) bills and Children Education Allowance bills, for different officials in his unit.

The CBI laid a trap on Thursday at the Regional Pay & Accounts Office, CISF, MHA, Ranchi, during which all three accused officials were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 48,400 from the complainant.

The CBI recovered Rs 48,400 as bribe money during the trap proceedings, the statement said.

–IANS

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