Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Jan 28: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two officials of Northern Railway, Lucknow, for allegedly accepting a bribe during the processing of a pension claim. The accused, Akash Tyagi, an Accountant in the Office of Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), and Akshay Srivastava, Assistant Divisional Finance Manager (ADFM), were caught red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 70,000 from a complainant on Tuesday, the agency confirmed.

The case was registered based on a complaint alleging that the officials demanded Rs 1 lakh for generating the Pension Payment Order (PPO) and an additional Rs 2.5 lakh upon settlement of the pension claim. Acting swiftly, the CBI laid a trap and intercepted the officials during the partial payment.

Both Tyagi and Srivastava have been taken into custody and will be produced before a competent court in Lucknow. The investigation is ongoing to identify any additional individuals involved in the bribery scheme.

This incident underscores persistent concerns over corruption in public offices, particularly in processes like pension claims, which directly impact retired employees. The CBI has been active in tackling such cases, including recent arrests of a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) officer in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, for allegedly taking Rs 1 lakh in bribe, and two Revenue Department officials in Jammu and Kashmir for accepting Rs 15,000.

The agency’s efforts continue to target corrupt practices, holding public servants accountable and ensuring legal action, including imprisonment and fines, for those involved.