CBI arrests railway engineer in bribery case, recovers ₹77 lakh cash
Synopsis
The CBI made two high-profile arrests on 14 August — a senior railway engineer in Bhilai caught allegedly taking a bribe, with ₹77 lakh in unexplained cash found at his premises, and a three-year fugitive linked to the politically charged Bogtui murder of a TMC gram panchayat leader in West Bengal.
Key Takeaways
The CBI arrested a Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer of SECR, Bhilai on 14 August in a bribery case registered on 13 August .
The officer allegedly demanded ₹2 lakh , settled for ₹1 lakh , and was caught accepting ₹50,000 as the first instalment through an alleged tout.
Searches at his Raipur and Bhilai premises yielded approximately ₹77 lakh in cash and jewellery worth around ₹14 lakh .
Both the officer and the alleged tout were produced in court; a judge granted four days of police custody.
In a separate case, proclaimed offender Masad Seikh — absconding since 2022 — was arrested in Mumbai's Dongri area in connection with the murder of TMC panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh at Bogtui, Birbhum .
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on 15 August 2025 arrested a senior officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), posted as Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer (DME) with the South East Central Railway (SECR) in Bhilai, in connection with a bribery case. Searches at his residential and official premises in Raipur and Bhilai led to the recovery of approximately ₹77 lakh in cash and jewellery worth around ₹14 lakh.
How the Trap Was Laid
The CBI registered the case on 13 August after the accused officer allegedly demanded an undue advantage of ₹2 lakh from a complainant for clearing pending bills. Following negotiations, the officer reportedly agreed to accept ₹1 lakh as the bribe amount.
Acting on the complaint, the agency laid a trap on 13 August and caught the Senior DME allegedly accepting ₹50,000 as the first instalment. The amount was reportedly handed over through an alleged tout, who collected the money from the complainant on the officer's instructions.
Arrests and Court Custody
The Senior DME, along with the alleged tout, was formally arrested on 14 August and produced before a competent court. The court subsequently granted four days of police custody for both accused persons. The CBI has said the investigation is ongoing.
Second Arrest: Proclaimed Offender in TMC Leader Murder Case
In a separate development, the CBI on 14 August also arrested proclaimed offender Masad Seikh in connection with the murder of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) gram panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh. Masad Seikh was apprehended from Wari Bander in Mumbai's Dongri area.
According to the agency, Masad Seikh had been absconding since the registration of an FIR in 2022 and had neither joined the investigation nor appeared for trial. He was traced using human intelligence and technical inputs, the CBI said.
Background: The Bogtui Violence Case
The CBI had originally registered the case on 8 April 2022, following an order of the Calcutta High Court, taking over an FIR registered at Rampurhat Police Station on 22 March 2022. Bhadu Sheikh was murdered on 21 March 2022 at Bogtui in West Bengal's Birbhum district — a killing that triggered widespread communal violence in the area. This is the latest arrest in a case that has seen multiple accused apprehended over three years.
Point of View
The Bogtui arrest, three years after the FIR, raises uncomfortable questions about how long proclaimed offenders can evade a central agency with investigative resources. Both cases, taken together, reflect a CBI that is operationally active but still contending with the slow grind of accountability in politically sensitive and administratively entrenched spaces.
NationPress
15 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the SECR railway officer arrested by the CBI?
The Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer posted with South East Central Railway in Bhilai was arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh — reduced from an initial demand of ₹2 lakh — from a complainant in exchange for clearing pending bills. He was caught accepting ₹50,000 as the first instalment through an alleged tout on 13 August.
How much cash was recovered from the arrested railway officer?
The CBI recovered approximately ₹77 lakh in cash and jewellery worth around ₹14 lakh during searches at the officer's residential and official premises in Raipur and Bhilai following his arrest.
Who is Masad Seikh and why was he arrested?
Masad Seikh is a proclaimed offender arrested by the CBI on 14 August in connection with the murder of TMC gram panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh at Bogtui in West Bengal's Birbhum district on 21 March 2022. He had been absconding since the FIR was registered in 2022 and was traced through human intelligence and technical inputs.
What is the Bogtui murder case?
The Bogtui case refers to the killing of Trinamool Congress gram panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh on 21 March 2022 in Birbhum district, West Bengal, which triggered widespread violence in the area. The CBI took over the case on 8 April 2022 following a Calcutta High Court order.
What custody did the court grant in the railway bribery case?
After the arrested railway officer and the alleged tout were produced before a competent court on 14 August, the court granted four days of police custody for both accused persons. The CBI has said its investigation is continuing.
