Ranchi / New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three officials of the Regional Pay and Accounts Office (RPAO) of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in Ranchi after they were allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹48,400 to process pending bills of a CISF jawan. A special CBI court later remanded the accused to three days of agency custody.
The arrested officials have been identified as Senior Accounts Officer Santosh Kumar Mahto and Assistant Accounts Officers Sunil Kumar and Sujit Kumar Singh. They were posted at the RPAO, CISF, located at Doranda in Ranchi. The office functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs and handles pay and accounts work for CISF as well as other central organisations such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
Complaint over travel and education allowance bills
The case was registered on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, on a written complaint by a CISF Head Constable posted at the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) unit in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Multiple reports name the complainant as Ravikant Tripathi. His unit had deputed him to submit 28 Travel Allowance (TA) bills and 10 Children’s Education Allowance (CEA) bills at the Ranchi RPAO for payment.
According to the complaint, Sunil Kumar and Mahto demanded an “undue advantage” of between ₹40,000 and ₹50,000 for processing and releasing the payments. The CBI alleged that the officials were delaying clearance of legitimate dues to extract a bribe.
Trap at the Ranchi office
On Thursday, August 27, CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Ranchi laid a trap at the RPAO office. Investigators said all three accused were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting ₹48,400 from the complainant. The entire bribe amount was recovered during the operation.
A CBI spokesperson said in a statement: “The bribe amount of Rs 48,400 was recovered during the trap proceedings.”
Raids in Ranchi and Dhanbad
After the arrests, CBI teams searched five locations linked to the accused in Ranchi and Dhanbad. Officials said the searches yielded digital devices, documents relating to property purchases, investments, jewellery and bank transactions, along with a substantial amount of cash.
Media reports from Jharkhand, which have not been independently confirmed in official CBI figures, said cash running into several lakhs of rupees and jewellery were recovered, including from Sujit Kumar Singh’s residence in Gandhi Nagar, Sabji Bagaan, Dhanbad. Some local reports put cash recoveries in the range of about ₹10–22 lakh and jewellery at a much higher estimated value. CBI’s public statements have so far used the more cautious phrase “substantial cash amounts.”
Three-day CBI remand
The three officials were produced on Friday, August 28, before a special CBI court. The agency sought custodial interrogation, saying it needed to examine whether other officials were involved. The court remanded them to three days of CBI custody. Further investigation is under way.
Why the case matters
The episode is significant because it involves the office that processes pay, allowances and reimbursements for CISF personnel posted across the country. TA and CEA bills are routine entitlements for central armed police force personnel. If the allegations are proved, they point to a demand for illegal gratification at the last stage of bill clearance — after a jawan had already been sent from another state specifically to get the papers processed.
The RPAO’s role is administrative and financial rather than operational. That makes the alleged demand particularly sensitive: personnel who guard airports, power plants, industrial installations and other critical infrastructure depend on this office for timely settlement of travel and family-related claims.
CBI has not yet said whether the alleged practice was limited to this set of bills or formed part of a wider pattern at the Ranchi office. The remand order specifically allows investigators to probe the possible involvement of other officials.
What happens next
The accused remain in CBI custody for questioning. Investigators are examining seized digital devices, property and investment papers, jewellery records and bank transactions. A chargesheet, if filed, would typically invoke provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), relating to demand and acceptance of undue advantage by public servants.
No official comment from CISF or the Ministry of Home Affairs on departmental action was immediately available in public reports. Further investigation continues.
