CBI arrests deputy general manager of Eastern Coalfields Limited in bribery case

New Delhi: The CBI has arrested a deputy general manager posted in Hariajam Colliery in Eastern Coalfields Limited in Dhanbad in an alleged bribery case, officials said on Thursday.

It was alleged that Ram Prakash Pandey, DGM of ECL in the Mugma area in Dhanbad demanded a bribe of Rs 75,000 from a 50 per cent handicapped 'general mazdoor' to change his duty in the mine. He approached the CBI with a complaint against Pandey, they said.

In his complaint, he said he was working at Hariajam Colliery, CBH Group of Mines, under Mugma Area, ECL since 2006.

In 2011, he met with an accident which left him 50 per cent handicapped and a certificate was also issued by the civil surgeon in Dhanbad.

The complainant was working underground before the accident but after losing his physical ability, he had requested Pandey for surface duty, which was allegedly not given to him, the complaint alleged.

The complainant then approached the local MP with his prayer following which Pandey issued a letter on March 16, 2024, deputing him at surface work -- weighbridge, Central Pool Siding -- for which he allegedly demanded the bribe.

After verification, the CBI laid a trap and Pandey was nabbed red-handed while receiving part payment of the bribe from the complainant.

The CBI later conducted searches which resulted in the recovery of incriminating documents, the agency said in a statement.