19 August,2026 07:40 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
CBI arrests internal financial advisor of I&B ministry for graft. Representational Pic
The CBI has arrested a Deputy Controller of Accounts posted in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as an Internal Financial Adviser (IFA) for allegedly accepting a Rs 10 lakh-bribe through his wife to clear the renewal file of a private company handled by him, officials said on Wednesday.
It is alleged that Sandeep, an officer of the 2020 batch of the Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), demanded a bribe of Rs 15 lakh from a businessman to process the renewal file, news agency PTI reported, citing officials.
"After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from the complainant to expeditiously process the renewal file for the private company's contract, which was pending before him," the CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency laid a trap on Tuesday and caught the accused officer while he was allegedly accepting the Rs 10 lakh-bribe through his wife, the spokesperson said.
In a separate incident, two officials of Gujarat's Food and Drugs Department, including an Assistant Commissioner, were caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday while allegedly accepting Rs 40,000 in connection with the processing of a new wholesale drug licence in Bharuch.
The accused have been identified as 54-year-old Prakashbhai Posnani, Assistant Commissioner of the Food and Drugs Department in Bharuch, a Class-I officer, and 29-year-old Surbhiben Desai, a Drug Inspector and Assistant Commissioner in the department, a Class-II officer.
"Both were caught during a trap at the Assistant Commissioner's chamber at the Food and Drugs Control Administration office in Bharuch," officials said. According to the ACB, the complainant, described as a "vigilant citizen", had applied for a new wholesale licence for medicines.
During the processing of the application, Desai allegedly told the complainant that the licence procedure would be completed but that Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 would have to be paid to the senior official. Unwilling to pay the alleged bribe, the complainant approached the Narmada ACB Police Station.
Based on the complaint, the ACB arranged a trap at the Bharuch office on August 18. During the operation, Posnani and Desai allegedly accepted Rs 40,000 from the complainant.
The ACB subsequently recovered the entire amount. The bureau alleged that the two officials misused their positions as public servants and committed criminal misconduct by accepting the money.
The trap was conducted by DD Vasava, Police Inspector at Narmada ACB Police Station, under the supervision of BM Patel, in-charge Assistant Director of the ACB's Vadodara unit. Baldev Desai, Deputy Director, ACB Vadodara, was the officer in charge of the operation.
The ACB's action follows the complaint against the officials and the alleged demand for money linked to the issuance of a wholesale drug licence. The two accused face further legal proceedings related to the trap.
(With agency inputs)
