TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Central Bureau of Investigation has initiated inquiry against two travelling ticket examiners (TTEs) on allegations they demanded a bribe from a family travelling in Goa Sampark Kranti Express train, last month.
The agency is conducting a preliminary inquiry after receiving a complaint from Jaibir Singh, who along with his parents, wife and children were travelling in the same train from Delhi on July 15.
Sources said the complainant had booked two tatkal tickets for his family of six, but he did not posses original identity proof of his children, which is mandatory for travelling by Indian Railways.
According to the complaint, Singh carried original ID proof for the ticket of four passengers and ID photocopies of the remaining passengers. Singh produced his children before the TTEs to convince TTE head Dharmender and another TTE D P Singh that all of them were traveling together to Goa.
“But both TTEs demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 or to pay Rs 11,000 for issuance of another official ticket,” said an officer quoting the complaint copy. The passenger said he was forced to pay Rs 5,250 for the ticket and Rs 3,000 as bribe to both the TTEs.
It was thereafter that even while enroute to Goa, he phoned the CBI office in Goa narrating the sequence. A CBI team was immediately deployed to Karmali railway station. They boarded the train as it halted.
On inquiry, Singh disclosed that he had paid Rs 2000 in denomination of Rs 1000 and Rs 500 to TTE Dharmender and Rs Rs 1,000 to D P Singh in Rs 500 denomination. However, TTE Singh had already alighted at the Tivim railway station but Dharmender was found with the alleged bribe amount after a search.
“The CBI team recovered the bribe amount from Dharmender’s possession. The 1000 rupee notes were identified by the complainant,” he said. The passenger lodged a formal complaint against the two TTEs on July 16.
The agency has already begun calling the witnesses for recording their statements. The two TTEs will also be called for inquiry. “The preliminary inquiry will be converted into FIR if there is prima facie evidence of wrong doing,” said an officer.
