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CBI arrests an ED officer and a CRPF head constable in Lucknow in a Rs 5 lakh bribery trap
The CBI arrested an Enforcement Directorate officer and a head constable on deputation from the CRPF on Friday for allegedly taking Rs 5 lakh from the father of a complainant who had been summoned in an ED case. The trap ran in Delhi and Lucknow.
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The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested two officials of the Enforcement Directorate's Lucknow zone in a bribery trap, accusing them of taking Rs 5 lakh from a man whose father had been summoned in an ED case. The CBI announced the arrests on Friday, 23 October, and registered a case the same day.
The accused are Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi, both posted at the ED's Lucknow zonal office. Dwivedi is with the Central Reserve Police Force and is on deputation to the ED. The CBI said he is not an ED cadre officer. Both have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act, though the reports do not give the sections.
The complaint came from the son of a man who had received two summonses from the ED's Lucknow zone, one in August and one in September 2026. According to the CBI, Dwivedi demanded a bribe from the complainant's father "for helping him in the ED case". Another report says the money was sought in exchange for relief and favourable treatment in a money laundering inquiry, and that the aim was to dilute it. The complainant told the CBI, which verified the demand before registering the case.
The trap was laid on Friday and ran across two cities. Dwivedi had gone to Delhi to collect the Rs 5 lakh on Kumar's behalf and was caught there, allegedly demanding and accepting the cash. A report says that after he was caught he phoned Kumar to confirm the collection, and that a second CBI team then went into the ED zonal office in Lucknow and arrested Kumar at about 3 pm. The case is registered against the head constable, Kumar and unknown officials of the ED's Lucknow office.
What the CBI says
The agency says its investigation is continuing to establish the full extent of the alleged misconduct and whether other officials were involved, and whether the two acted on their own or on someone else's instructions. It said the action underlines its effort to fight corruption among public servants and make government agencies accountable. It has asked anyone facing a bribe demand from a public servant to report it to its Anti-Corruption Branch at the CGO Complex in New Delhi.
The reports available do not say whether any searches were carried out or anything beyond the cash was recovered. They do not describe the officers' production in court or custody, and they carry no statement from the Enforcement Directorate. The complainant and his father are not named, and the nature of the ED case against the father and of the relief allegedly promised has not been disclosed.
Why it draws attention
The Enforcement Directorate investigates money laundering and foreign exchange offences, and a summons from it is a serious matter for the person who receives it. A case in which the agency's own staff are accused of selling relief is therefore likely to be followed closely. Whether it is an isolated case or part of a pattern is not something the reports can answer.
The accused have not been heard in the reports, and the allegations remain to be tested in court. The CBI's inquiry into others who may be involved is the next thing to watch.
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