CBI arrests 2 BSNL engineers in Bhopal for ₹75,000 bribe
Synopsis
Two senior BSNL engineers in Bhopal were caught red-handed by the CBI accepting ₹75,000 each — part of a ₹2 lakh-per-person demand — to clear 14 pending bills of a Jabalpur contractor. On the same day, three CISF accounts officers in Ranchi were arrested for extorting ₹48,400 from a constable to process routine allowance claims. Both cases expose how bill-clearance bottlenecks in public offices are allegedly weaponised for personal gain.
Key Takeaways
The CBI arrested a Chief Engineer (Electrical) and a Superintending Engineer (Electrical) of BSNL, Bhopal on 27 August for accepting a bribe of ₹75,000 each .
The accused had allegedly demanded ₹2 lakh each from a Jabalpur-based firm to process 14 pending bills for OCM and electrical installation work.
Searches are underway at premises in Bhopal , Lucknow , and Kanpur .
In a separate case, Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto and assistant accounts officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh of the CISF Regional Pay and Accounts Office, Ranchi were arrested for taking a bribe of ₹48,400 .
The Ranchi trio allegedly extorted a Head Constable to clear TA and Children Education Allowance bills; searches are ongoing at 5 locations in Ranchi and Dhanbad .
All accused are to be produced before the competent court on 28 August .
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, 27 August arrested two senior engineers of BSNL, Bhopal — a Chief Engineer (Electrical) and a Superintending Engineer (Electrical) — after catching them red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹75,000 each as part payment of a larger demand of ₹2 lakh each. The arrests come in connection with allegations that the two officers extorted money from a Jabalpur-based firm to clear pending bills for 14 different works.
How the Trap Was Laid
The CBI registered the case on Thursday following allegations that the two accused, posted at BSNL's Bhopal office, demanded ₹2 lakh each — along with a similar amount for a co-accused — from a firm that had executed Operation and Comprehensive Maintenance (OCM) and electrical installation work for BSNL. The bribe was allegedly sought to process the firm's pending bills across 14 contracts.
Acting on the complaint, the CBI set a trap and apprehended both officers in Bhopal while they were accepting ₹75,000 each as an initial instalment of the demanded sum. Searches are currently being conducted at the residential and office premises of the accused in Bhopal, Lucknow, and Kanpur.
Separate CISF Bribery Case in Ranchi
In a separate operation on the same day, the CBI arrested three officials of the Regional Pay and Accounts Office, CISF, Ranchi — Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto, and assistant accounts officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh — for demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹48,400 from a colleague.
According to officials, the trio had pressured a Head Constable of CISF, NTPC, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, to pay a bribe to process various allowance bills — including Travelling Allowance (TA) and Children Education Allowance bills — for personnel in his unit. The CBI registered the case on Wednesday and laid a trap on Thursday at the Ranchi office, catching all three accused red-handed with ₹48,400 recovered as bribe money.
Searches are being conducted at five locations in Ranchi and Dhanbad, during which the CBI seized incriminating documents and cash. All accused are scheduled to be produced before the competent court on Friday, 28 August.
Pattern of Accountability
Both operations reflect the CBI's continued focus on corruption within public sector undertakings and central government pay offices. Notably, in both cases the bribe demands were tied to routine administrative functions — bill clearance — suggesting systemic pressure points where officials allegedly exploit procedural bottlenecks. This is among a series of anti-corruption trap operations conducted by the CBI across multiple states in recent months.
What Happens Next
The arrested accused will face production before the competent court on Friday. Ongoing searches in Bhopal, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ranchi, and Dhanbad may yield further evidence. Charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act are expected to be formally framed following judicial remand proceedings.
Point of View
One in Ranchi — are not coincidental; they reflect a CBI that is running concurrent trap operations across public sector nodes where bill-clearance authority is concentrated in a few hands. The structural problem is not just individual greed: when engineers or accounts officers can unilaterally delay payments for 14 contracts or multiple allowance heads, the incentive to extract rent is built into the system. The BSNL case is particularly pointed — a telecom PSU already under financial strain now faces reputational damage from officers allegedly monetising routine procurement paperwork. Until bill-processing timelines are automated and auditable in real time, trap operations will remain reactive rather than preventive.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the CBI arrest the two BSNL engineers in Bhopal?
The CBI arrested the Chief Engineer (Electrical) and Superintending Engineer (Electrical) of BSNL, Bhopal on 27 August for accepting ₹75,000 each as part of a larger bribe demand of ₹2 lakh each. They allegedly sought the money from a Jabalpur-based firm to process 14 pending bills related to OCM and electrical installation work.
What is the total bribe amount involved in the BSNL case?
The accused demanded ₹2 lakh each from the complainant firm, plus a similar amount for a co-accused. They were caught accepting ₹75,000 each as an initial part payment, making the total demand at least ₹6 lakh across all accused.
Who were arrested in the CISF bribery case in Ranchi?
The CBI arrested Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto and assistant accounts officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh from the Regional Pay and Accounts Office, CISF, Ranchi. They were caught accepting ₹48,400 from a Head Constable to process his unit's allowance bills.
Where are searches being conducted following the arrests?
In the BSNL case, searches are underway at residential and office premises in Bhopal, Lucknow, and Kanpur. In the CISF case, the CBI is conducting searches at five locations in Ranchi and Dhanbad, where incriminating documents and cash have been seized.
When will the arrested officials appear in court?
All accused from both cases are scheduled to be produced before the competent court on Friday, 28 August, following their arrests on Thursday.
