CBI Arrests Western Railway Official For Demanding INR 50,000 Bribe For Clearing Pending Bill

The CBI arrested Western Railway’s chief office superintendent in Mumbai on February 29 after allegedly accepting a bribe of INR 50,000 for clearing bills of INR 4.80 crore, officials said.

The accused railway official has been identified as Sanjay Waghela. According to the CBI, a Vashi resident filed a written complaint against Waghela on 22.02.2024, for demanding a bribe of INR 50,000.

A CBI official said, “The complaint alleges that the complainant works as a liaisoning agent for his client company. This company provides several different sorts of railway materials to Western Railways. The company has never failed to supply materials to Western Railways. The company used to submit bills for material supply for payment, and the complaint would follow up on their behalf. He was in contact with Western Railways’ accounts department to ensure that bills were passed and paid on time.”

The official added, “Recently, the company supplied material to Western Railways and submitted three bills totaling INR 4.80 crore to the accounts department. Waghela is a processing officer in the Accounts section of the DRM Office in Mumbai Central, Western Railways. On February 15, 2024, when the complainant went to visit Waghela, he asked for a bribe of INR 100 per lakh of the entire billed amount of INR 4.80 crores (roughly INR 50000 as a bribe) from the complainant for bill processing. The claim in the complaint was quietly examined in the presence of Panch witnesses, who confirmed Waghela’s demand for an undue incentive of INR 50,000 from the complainant.”

The CBI had set up a trap and caught the accused while he was taking an INR 50,000 bribe in his Mumbai office. Searches were undertaken at two places on the accused’s premises, resulting in the seizure of damning documents, etc. The apprehended culprit was later brought before the Competent Court in Mumbai on February 23.