Hyderabad: Syed Munvar Basha, secretary to the principal chief operations manager (PCOM) of South Central Railway (SCR), who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Anti-Corruption Bureau, maintained two bank accounts, including one in his son’s name, to collect bribes through digital payments, according to a vigilance report.The report, submitted by deputy chief vigilance officer Ch. Rakesh of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), South Central Railway, confirmed irregularities in the selection process for five vacancies notified in 2023 at the PCOM office. These included four posts for traffic inspectors and one for chief controller. A total of 45 applications were received, and five candidates were selected: Koyyada Sajith Goud, U. Dinesh, Naresh Kumarnara, Salivendra Sandeep and Gadekari Sekhar.According to the report, statements from all five candidates were recorded on November 8 and 10, 2023. Each of them alleged that Syed Munvar Basha had demanded money in exchange for selection. Four of them paid bribes via UPI, while one paid in cash. Bank statements obtained from the State Bank of India showed that UPI payments were routed through two accounts: one in the name of Syed Munvar Bashaand another in the name of his son, Shaik Sameer Hussain. A mobile number linked to the son’s account, was actively used by Basha. He admitted to managing his son’s account himself.The vigilance officials also reviewed transactions made by Syed Munvar Basha after he assumed charge as secretary to PCOM / SCR. The account statements of the accused officer and his son between January 2022 and October 2023 were obtained from SBI. It was noticed that both accounts combined have deposits of Rs.31,62,500 (Rs,5,82,000 in 2022 and Rs.25,80,000 in 2023), excluding the bribe payments recorded from the six candidates..The CBI has initiated departmental disciplinary action against Basha and the employees involved.Bribes Transferred by Selected Candidates Koyyada Sajith Goud: Rs.15,000 on August 28, 2023; another Rs.15,000 on August 31 U. Dinesh: Rs.10,000 on August 30, 2023; Rs.15,000 on August 31 Salivendra Sandeep: Rs.10,000 on August 27, 2023; Rs.10,000 on August 30 Gadekari Sekhar: Rs.30,000 on August 28, 2023; Rs.20,000 on August 30
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