I&B officer wanted Rs 10 lakh bribe to clear file, CBI catches him in act

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Sandeep Choudhary, a Deputy Controller of Accounts for the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in connection with a Rs 10 lakh bribery case, according to a spokesperson for the central agency.

The CBI registered a case against Choudhary, an Indian Civil Accounts Service officer from the 2020 batch, on August 18 following a complaint alleging that he demanded Rs 15 lakh to clear a file quickly. The complaint was filed by Ramneek Sharma, associate vice president of Avian Media Pvt Ltd, a company with a contract with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for managing its social media platforms. The contract, set to expire on August 31, had a renewal file pending with Choudhary.

Sharma informed the CBI about his interaction with Choudhary on August 14, during which the latter allegedly demanded a bribe to expedite the processing of the renewal file. Upon investigation, it was revealed that Choudhary had initially demanded Rs 15 lakh, which was later negotiated down to Rs 10 lakh. The CBI set up a trap and arrested Choudhary on Tuesday when he was found accepting the bribe amount through his wife. Following his arrest, CBI officials searched his office and seized several files.