Thane Crime: Fake Railway Vigilance Inspector Arrested While Taking ₹20,000 Bribe In Kalyan

Kalyan, Jan 22: The Vigilance Department of Central Railway arrested a man posing as a Railway Board vigilance inspector while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 from a railway employee in Kalyan. The accused was nabbed red-handed following a five-hour-long trap operation, officials confirmed on Thursday.

Complaint triggers trap

The action was initiated after a complaint was lodged by Mangesh Badgujar, a booking clerk working at the Kalyan railway booking office.

According to vigilance officials, the accused, identified as Harish Kamble, had approached the clerk claiming to be a vigilance inspector from the Railway Board and demanded ₹60,000 for clearing a pending payment allegedly stuck at the Divisional Railway Manager’s (DRM) office.

Officials said that Kamble had already collected ₹40,000 digitally via PhonePe prior to the trap.

Arrested red-handed

On Thursday afternoon, around 2.30 pm, he arrived at the booking office to collect the remaining ₹20,000, unaware that the Vigilance Department had already laid a trap based on the complaint.

“As soon as the accused accepted the cash and stepped out, our team intercepted and arrested him red-handed,” a senior vigilance official said.

Past record and modus operandi

During preliminary questioning, it emerged that the accused had been impersonating a Railway Board vigilance inspector for a considerable period and had managed to gain access to senior railway officials. Officials further revealed that Kamble used his fake identity to facilitate emergency and VIP railway quotas by misleading officers.

Adding to the seriousness of the case, vigilance officials disclosed that Harish Kamble had earlier been arrested in 2012 by the CST Railway Police on charges of impersonating a fake ticket checker (TC).

Handed over to GRP

After completing the initial vigilance procedures, the accused was handed over to the Kalyan Government Railway Police (GRP) for further investigation. The probe is currently being conducted under the supervision of GRP station in-charge Pandhari Kande, officials said.

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Central Railway authorities have reiterated that strict action will be taken against individuals indulging in impersonation and corruption, and have urged railway employees to report such incidents without fear.

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