In a major action in the Naxal-affected district of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted a late-night raid on Wednesday and arrested four officials/employees of the Postal Department red-handed while allegedly accepting bribes.
After completing the arrest formalities, the CBI team left for Raipur late in the evening along with the accused. A member of the raiding team said that further legal proceedings would be initiated once the team reaches Raipur.
Postal Department Officials Arrested
The CBI arrested the following officials and employees from the Bastar Division of Chhattisgarh Postal Circle, Bijapur district, for alleged involvement in corruption:
Shastri Kumar Paikara, Sub-Divisional Inspector (Postal), SDI (P), Bijapur
Malauth Shobhan and Ambedkar Singh, Mail Overseers (Madded, Bhopalpattanam, Awapalli and Bijapur)
Santosh Andrik, Rural Postal Sevak (ABPM)
During the raid, the CBI seized approximately ₹50,000 in bribe money.
Bribes Demanded for Appointments and Transfers
Ravindra, Branch Postmaster of Dugoli, alleged that at the time of his joining in 2023, he was forced to pay ₹5,000. He further claimed that even now, several new appointments are taking place and candidates are being charged ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 each.
According to the complaint, an amount of ₹15,000 was demanded for joining, relieving, and transfers. As many as 37 employees were relieved, and money was allegedly taken from all of them. Ravindra alleged that Sub-Divisional Inspector (Postal) Shastri Kumar Paikara was primarily responsible for collecting the bribes.
