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A pension meant for relief became the bait in a CBI trap. Two Northern Railway officials were caught red-handed in Lucknow while taking ₹70,000 in bribe. What began as a routine pension file has now exposed a deeper corruption trail.
CBI nabs two railway officials over pension scam
Lucknow: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested two officials of Northern Railway in Lucknow for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe in connection with the processing of a pension case. The accused include an Accountant and an Assistant Divisional Finance Manager (ADFM) posted in the office of the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Northern Railway, Lucknow.
The arrests were made after the officials were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe amount of ₹70,000 from a complainant, the CBI said in a statement dated January 28, 2026.
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According to the agency, the case was registered on January 27, 2026, based on a complaint alleging corruption in the processing of pension benefits. The complainant alleged that the Accountant had demanded a bribe for facilitating the pension of his aunt.
As per the complaint, the accused Accountant allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh after the generation of the Pension Payment Order (PPO) and an additional ₹2.5 lakh after the settlement of the claim amount. The complaint also mentioned the involvement of unknown officials in the alleged demand.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on January 27, 2026. During the operation, both the Accountant and the Assistant Divisional Finance Manager were apprehended while allegedly accepting ₹70,000 as part payment of the demanded bribe from the complainant.
CBI officials confirmed that the accused were caught red-handed during the transaction, following which they were formally taken into custody.
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Both officials have been arrested and will be produced before the competent court in Lucknow, the agency said. The CBI has not disclosed further details regarding the identities of the accused officials or the precise role played by each in the alleged bribery case.
The central agency said that further investigation is currently underway to ascertain the involvement of other officials and to probe the full extent of the alleged corruption. The CBI is also examining documents related to the pension case to verify procedural lapses and identify any additional beneficiaries of the illegal activity.
The arrests come amid continued efforts by the CBI to curb corruption in public offices, particularly in cases involving essential services such as pension disbursement, which directly affect retired employees and their families.
