New Delhi, Jul 6 (IANS): A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested A.K. Kathpal, former Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer of Indian Railways earlier posted at Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in an alleged graft case, the agency on Tuesday arrested four more persons in connection with the bribery case and recovered assets worth Rs 4.28 crore.

A CBI spokesperson here said that the agency arrested Hamsa Venugopal, Director of Universal Engineers Chennai Pvt Ltd, Om Prakash, working partner of Venugopal, Sanjay Kathpal, brother of A.K. Kathpal and Khetmal Jain of Salem Steel Trading Company Chennai.

The official said that apart from the recoveries of Rs 2.75 crore and gold bars of 23 kg on Monday, the agency recovered other investments such as FDRs worth Rs 4.28 crore related to the public servant and his family members, property documents and keys of two bank lockers.

He said that the scrutiny of the bank accounts and other documents is in progress.

The official said that all the arrested accused are being produced on Tuesday before courts at Delhi and Chennai.

Tue CBI arrested Kathpal, former Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, earlier posted at Integral Coach Factory in Tamil Nadu's Chennai for demanding and accepting an alleged bribe of Rs 50 lakh as second instalment.

The CBI had carried out searches at nine locations on Monday at the premises of Kathpal at multiple locations including in Delhi and Chennai.

The CBI had registered a case against Kathpal and others including private persons on the allegations that the accused while holding the post of Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer, ICF Chennai, was indulging in various nefarious activities in collusion with a Director of Chennai-based private firm and unknown persons in the award or execution of tenders in respect of Mechanical Division of ICF.

It was further alleged that the accused during the period from February, 2019 to March 31, 2021, the date of his retirement, had collected bribes from the Director of the private firm and others and used the services of said person as a conduit for collecting bribes on his behalf and also as a custodian for keeping the alleged illegal gratification of Rs 5.89 crore received by or on his behalf.

It was also alleged that on the demand of Kathpal, Venugopal arranged to deliver a sum of Rs 50 lakh as first instalment of the total bribe kept in her custody through another private person of a company based at Chennai and her working partner at Delhi to the brother of Kathpal in Delhi.