CBI Arrests Three CISF Pay & Accounts Officials in Ranchi Bribery Trap मामला
Ranchi / New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested three officials posted at the Regional Pay and Accounts Office of the Central Industrial Security Force in Ranchi after they were allegedly caught accepting a bribe of ₹48,400 to clear pending bills of a CISF jawan. A special CBI court later sent the accused to three days of agency custody.
The arrested officials have been identified as Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto and Assistant Accounts Officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh. All three were attached to the RPAO, CISF, at Doranda in Ranchi, an office under the Ministry of Home Affairs that handles pay and accounts work for CISF personnel as well as other central bodies including the National Investigation Agency and the Narcotics Control Bureau.
Complaint from a CISF head constable in Prayagraj
The case was registered on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, after a written complaint by a CISF Head Constable posted at the National Thermal Power Corporation unit in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Multiple reports have identified the complainant as Ravikant Tripathi. According to the complaint, his unit had deputed him to travel to Ranchi with 28 Travel Allowance bills and 10 Children’s Education Allowance bills for processing and payment.
The complaint alleged that Sunil Kumar and Mahto demanded an “undue advantage” in the range of ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 to process and release the dues. The CBI said the officials were delaying clearance of legitimate claims in order to extract a bribe.
Trap laid at Doranda office
Acting on the complaint, the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Ranchi laid a trap at the RPAO office on Thursday, August 27. Investigators said all three accused were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting ₹48,400 from the complainant. The entire amount was recovered during the operation.
In a statement, a CBI spokesperson said: “The bribe amount of Rs 48,400 was recovered during the trap proceedings.”
Searches in Ranchi and Dhanbad
Following the arrests, CBI teams searched five locations linked to the accused in Ranchi and Dhanbad. Officials said the searches led to the seizure of digital devices, documents related to property purchases, investments, jewellery and bank transactions, along with a substantial amount of cash.
Media reports from Jharkhand, which have not been independently confirmed in official CBI figures, said cash worth several lakhs of rupees and jewellery were recovered, including from Sujit Kumar Singh’s residence in Gandhi Nagar, Sabji Bagaan, Dhanbad. Some local reports placed the cash recovery in the range of about ₹10 lakh to ₹22 lakh and estimated the jewellery at a much higher value. The CBI, however, has so far used the more guarded description “substantial cash amounts” in its public statements.
Court sends accused to CBI custody
The three officials were produced before a special CBI court on Friday, August 28. The agency sought custodial interrogation, saying it needed to examine whether other officials were also involved in the alleged bribery chain. The court granted three days of CBI custody, and the investigation remains under way.
Why the allegations are serious
The case has drawn attention because the RPAO is the office responsible for processing pay, allowances and reimbursements for CISF personnel posted across the country. Travel Allowance and Children’s Education Allowance claims are routine entitlements for members of central armed police forces. If the allegations are established, they suggest that illegal gratification was allegedly sought at the final stage of bill clearance, after a jawan had been sent from another state specifically to secure payment.
The office’s role is administrative and financial rather than operational, which makes the alleged demand particularly sensitive for a force tasked with guarding airports, power plants, industrial installations and other critical infrastructure. Timely settlement of travel and family-related claims depends on such back-office processing.
The CBI has not said whether the alleged conduct was confined to these bills or whether it may reflect a wider practice at the Ranchi office. The remand order allows investigators to examine the possible involvement of other officials as well.
Next steps in the probe
The accused remain in CBI custody for questioning. Investigators are examining the seized digital devices, property and investment papers, jewellery records and bank transactions. If a chargesheet is filed, it is expected to invoke provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, dealing with demand and acceptance of undue advantage by public servants.
No official comment from the CISF or the Ministry of Home Affairs on departmental action was immediately available in public reports. The investigation continues.
