New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed Railway Recruitment Scam by conducting simultaneous raids at Mumbai, Bangalore, Raipur, Kolkata and Hyderabad. The scam relates to the examinations of Assistant Loco Pilot and Assistant Station Master. It is estimated that the scam runs into several crores of rupees.
CBI has so far arrested eight accused persons i.e. son of Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board(RRB), Mumbai; the then Additional Divisional Railway Manager(ADRM); his son; one Raipur-based agent; one employee of Health Department of Government of Andhra Pradesh and three Hyderabad-based agents. The four arrested accused i.e. son of the Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Mumbai; the then ADRM; son of ADRM and Raipur-based agent were produced yesterday in the designated court, Hyderabad and were remanded to fourteen days' judicial custody. The remaining four arrested accused are being produced today in the designated court at Hyderabad.
At Mumbai, the searches have led to the detection of Rs 60 lakh in bank accounts of the family members of the Chairman, RRB, Mumbai besides bank pass books and laptops. Recently, son of the Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board has purchased a Pajero from the ill-gotten money in one of his relatives name.
At Hyderabad Rs 21.5 lakh in cash and original certificates of 444 aspirants were recovered from the residence of the then ADRM.
Rs 12 lakh were recovered from the possession of the then ADRM at a Hotel in Bangalore (where he was staying) along with incriminating documents, such as question papers and original certificates of the aspirants.
Several incriminating documents have been recovered from the searches at Kolkata, Hyderabad and Raipur. Searches at other places in the country are in progress.
The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) across the country conduct examinations for induction of staff in Group 'C' category of the Indian Railways. On 6.6.2010, examinations were held across the country for the induction of Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) and on 13.6.2010 for Assistant Station Master (ASM).
The then Additional Divisional Railway Manager(ADRM), Raipur in connivance with the officials of RRB, Mumbai could secure a copy of the question paper before the examination date and provided the same to several aspirants mobilized by him with the help of his agents.
The aspirants of the examinations so mobilized were asked to pay huge amounts of money and deposit their original certificates with the then ADRM and only after that the question paper was provided to them one day prior to the examination. The agreement is to pay the remaining portion of money and take away the certificates after the declaration of the results. Each candidate pays to the tune of Rs 3,50,000/- for getting selected.
Action on the said modus operandi designed by the then ADRM with the help of his agents and officials of RRB was potential danger to the meritorious and deserving aspirants.
It is learnt that similar scams are being perpetrated by several gangs in different parts of the country in connivance with the public servants of Indian Railways. Hence, the aspirants should be vigilant and if such things are noticed, they should immediately bring it to the notice of the nearest branch of CBI.
- Shri A.K. Jagannatham, the then ADRM, Raipur.
- Shri Vivek Bhardwaj Sharma son of Shri S.M. Sharma, Chairman Railway, Railway Recruitment Board, Mumbai.
- Shri Sri Srujan son of Shri A.K. Jagannathaim, the then ADRM, Raipur.
- Shri MRSN Murthy, agent of Raipur.
- Shri A. Kumar Swamy, employee of Health Deptt. of Andhra Pradesh Govt.
- Shri P. Ashok Kumar (Private person), agent, Hyderabad.
- Shri J. Ramesh (Private person), agent, Hyderabad.
- Shri J. Triupataiah (Private person), agent, Hyderabad.