The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday, October 23, 2026, arrested Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi of the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Lucknow Zonal Office in connection with an alleged ₹5 lakh bribery case.
According to the CBI, the case was registered the same day against Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi and unknown officials of the ED Lucknow office on the basis of a complaint. It was alleged that Dwivedi demanded a bribe from the father of the complainant for helping him in an ED case in which the father had received two summons from the ED Lucknow Zone in August and September 2026.
Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on October 23. During the operation, Manoj Dwivedi was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting ₹5,00,000 on behalf of Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar, purportedly to favour the complainant’s father in the ED proceedings. Both officials were subsequently apprehended.
Deepak Kumar was posted as Enforcement Officer at the ED’s Lucknow Zonal Office. Manoj Dwivedi, a Head Constable, was deployed with the ED on deputation from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and is not an ED cadre officer. Both have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In its statement, the CBI said: “The CBI registered the case on Friday against the head-constable of the enforcement directorate, Lucknow and unknown officials of the ED, Lucknow based on a complaint. It was alleged that the accused head constable (Dwivedi) demanded a bribe from the father of the complainant for helping him in the ED case in which he received two summons in the month of August and September 2026 from the ED Lucknow Zone.” A trap was laid and Dwivedi was caught while demanding and accepting ₹5,00,000 on behalf of Kumar.
The agency is continuing its investigation to ascertain the full extent of the alleged misconduct and to determine whether any other officials were involved in the bribery arrangement. The action underscores the CBI’s efforts to address corruption among public servants.
The arrests come amid the CBI’s ongoing anti-corruption operations targeting public officials across agencies. Further details regarding the specific nature of the underlying ED case or the identities of the complainant and his father have not been disclosed in official statements.
