Two Northern Railways officials among three held by CBI in bribery case

New Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI): The CBI has arrested three accused, including a chief materials manager (CMM) and a senior clerk of Northern Railways (HQ) in an alleged bribery case, officials said Saturday.

The CBI had raided the Northern Railway headquarters at Baroda House here on Friday night after registering an FIR on allegations of bribe payment to CMM (Store) Narender Singh and Senior Clerk Lenin Sharma.

“It was alleged that the accused Public Servants at Northern Railways (HQ), while acting in connivance with accused representatives of the private company, were indulging in corrupt practices. They were allegedly extending undue favours for the award of railway tenders to the private company in lieu of obtaining illegal gratification,” a CBI spokesperson said.

The official said tenders were awarded in violation of prescribed procedures and norms governing public procurement.

“During the trap operation, amount of Rs 1 lakh bribe money transacted/delivered by the accused representative of the private company (Shariq Ali) to the accused Chief Materials Manager of the Northern Railways (HQ) was recovered,” an official statement said.

The two accused public servants and the alleged briber Shariq Ali have been arrested by the CBI, officials said.

“Searches at various locations at Delhi, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and Kanpur were conducted, leading to recovery of several incriminating documents and digital devices,” the official said.

The CBI has booked Chief Materials Manager Narender Singh, Deputy Chief Materials Manager Shuvashis Maity, and Senior Clerk (Store) Lenin Sharma — all posted at Northern Railways (HQ), Baroda House, New Delhi.

The FIR has also named businessmen Shariq Ali and Ejaz Ali of Mash International Pvt Ltd (Mash & Co), Jajmau, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The company has also been named as an accused.

The FIR says Shariq regularly obtained “valuable and confidential information” relating to railway tenders, along with other favours, through Sharma and his associates in exchange for illegal gratification.

A purchase order for the Safety Shoes was issued in favour of Mash International Pvt Ltd in April this year, for which the bribe payment was being made, officials said.

“The source has further informed that Singh, and his deputy, Maity, act in tandem and close coordination, further extending undue favours to Mash International Pvt. It’s either of the two that receives the pecuniary advantage/illegal gratification on the other’s behalf,” the FIR alleged. PTI ABS ARB ARB

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