Corruption over death: CBI arrests man for demanding bribe in return for pension

The accused had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the widow of an employee in order to approve a pension-related file.

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New Delhi: Even in death, there may not be any respite from corruption. That is the one single message that a wife of a deceased employee of Bhilai Steel Plant took back with her when she tried to get a pension-related file approved.

The incident took place earlier this month when Narayan Verma lost his life while working at the steel plant. When his wife approached officials for the pension she is entitled to by virtue of being the widow of the employee, she was allegedly asked to pay a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. Jitaram Sharma - the main accused - reportedly promised to push the file forward with the necessary approvals only if he was paid a bribe.

Left with no option as she did not have the money, the woman filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigations. The CBI laid out a plan and asked the woman to pay Rs 15,000 as the first instalment to Sharma and it is when the money was being handed over that the corrupt official was caught and arrested.

While Sharma has cried foul and said that he is being framed, the CBI now will thoroughly investigate the matter and it is reported that it has a strong case because the Sharma was caught red-handed.