Vijayawada, August 16 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Senior Section Engineer of South Central Railway and a private person in connection with an alleged ₹15 lakh bribery case in Vijayawada.
According to a press release issued by the CBI, the accused Senior Section Engineer is posted in the office of the Chief Signal & Telecommunication Engineer (CSTE), Projects, South Central Railway, Vijayawada.
The CBI registered the case on August 16, 2026, against the Senior Section Engineer, four representatives of private companies and other unknown public servants and private persons for the alleged demand and acceptance of illegal gratification.
The investigation revealed that a joint venture of two private companies had been awarded an Automatic Block Signalling work worth ₹179.50 crore by South Central Railway. The joint venture had reportedly claimed a bonus of around ₹7 crore for completing the work ahead of schedule.
The CBI alleged that officials of CSTE Projects, South Central Railway, Vijayawada, manipulated or altered dates relating to the bonus file in order to extend undue favour to the joint venture and facilitate approval of its bonus claim.
The Managing Director of one of the private companies allegedly informed the accused Senior Section Engineer that his son would deliver the ₹15 lakh bribe in Vijayawada after travelling from Visakhapatnam.
Acting on the information, the CBI laid a trap on August 16 and allegedly caught the Senior Section Engineer red-handed while accepting ₹15 lakh from a private person. The bribe was allegedly being paid in return for facilitating the sanction and release of the bonus amount to the company.
The CBI said the entire ₹15 lakh bribe amount was recovered during the trap.
Following the arrests, the agency launched searches at premises linked to the accused persons in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Pithapuram and Hyderabad.
The accused Senior Section Engineer and the private person were arrested on August 16 and are scheduled to be produced before the competent court at Vijayawada on August 17, 2026.
The investigation is continuing, the CBI said.(KNC)
