Nagpur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Moreshwar Athmande, an Office Superintendent in the Personnel Department of South East Central Railway (SECR), Nagpur, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.
The arrest took place on Tuesday at the SECR parking area, where Athmande was caught red-handed while receiving the bribe from Vishal Rameshwar Uikey, a Malaria Khalasi in the Medical Department of SECR.
According to CBI officials, Uikey lodged a complaint detailing the extortion attempt by Athmande. Uikey claimed that he had been working as a Malaria Khalasi until the government decided to shut down the Medical Department which led to his transfer to another department. During this transition, Athmande allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 15,000 to facilitate Uikey’s redeployment. Athmande warned Uikey that failure to comply would result in the obstruction of his redeployment process. This happened on February 9 when Uikey visited Athmande’s office.
During the meeting, Athmande reportedly insisted on the bribe payment. Unwilling to succumb to the demands, Uikey decided to approach the CBI and formally lodged a complaint against Athmande. CBI officials initiated verification proceedings on February 12 and conducted the process with a witness present. During the process, Athmande demanded Rs 15,000. As a settlement, he reportedly reduced the demand to Rs 10,000.
On Tuesday afternoon, Athmande was arrested while accepting the bribe from Uikey in a parking area near the office of DRM, SECR. The CBI has registered a case against Athmande under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. To further their investigation, CBI officials are currently conducting searches at Athmande’s residences and office to gather additional evidence.
