Mumbai: The principal chief mechanical engineer (PCME) of the Central Railway was arrested in a massive bribery case. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recovered ₹23 lakh in cash, jewellery worth ₹40 lakh, details of properties worth ₹13 crore and deposits of USD 2,00,000 ( ₹1,63,30,770) in three foreign bank accounts in Singapore and the USA.
According to the agency, some bills of the Kolkata-based firm, a railway contractor, were pending with the mechanical engineering department of the Central Railway and the PCME, Ashok Kumar Gupta, the head of the mechanical engineering department allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹1 lakh to clear the bills.
Acting on specific information, CBI registered an offence, and arrested the official driver of the PCME, Abdul Kalam Shaikh, for allegedly accepting the ₹1 lakh as a bribe on behalf of the PCME from the partner of the Kolkata-based firm. The partner, Aditya Tiberwal is also arrested in the case.