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

“The CBI laid a trap on Tuesday and caught Sandeep when he was accepting the bribe amount through his wife,” a spokesperson said.

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 20, 2026 04:04 AM IST

An I&B accounts officer was arrested when he was allegedly receiving Rs 10 lakh in bribe. Image generated using AI)

The CBI has arrested a Deputy Controller of Accounts, posted with the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in a Rs 10 lakh bribery case, a spokesperson from the central agency said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said that the CBI registered a case on August 18 against Sandeep, an Indian Civil Accounts Service officer of the 2020 batch, based on a complaint that he had demanded Rs 15 lakh to clear a file swiftly.

The CBI filed an FIR on a written complaint from one Ramneek Sharma, who is the associate vice president of Avian Media Pvt Ltd. “Avian Media has an existing contract with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for managing its social media platforms. The contract is scheduled to expire on August 31, and its renewal file was pending with Sandeep Choudhary,” the FIR says.

The complainant told the CBI that he contacted Choudhary over the phone on August 14 regarding the renewal of the contract. During the conversation, Choudhary allegedly demanded a bribe to process the file expeditiously, after which Sharma approached the CBI, the FIR states.

“The accused, posted as Deputy Controller of Accounts and Internal Financial Adviser in the ministry, allegedly sought the bribe for clearing the renewal file of a private company’s contract that was pending before him,” the spokesperson said.

Initially, Choudhary had demanded Rs 15 lakh from the complainant. Following negotiations, he allegedly agreed to accept Rs 10 lakh to expedite the processing of the renewal file. “Discreet verification prima facie disclosed” the demand and subsequent agreement to accept Rs 10 lakh, the FIR states.

After receiving the complaint, the CBI gathered evidence during its initial enquiry and later caught him red-handed. “The CBI laid a trap on Tuesday and caught Choudhary when he was accepting the bribe amount through his wife,” the spokesperson said.

Story continues below this ad

The spokesperson added that after arresting Choudhary, CBI officials searched his office and seized some files.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

Loading Recommendations...

Sep 05: Latest News

Live Blog