CBI arrests ED officer Deepak Kumar and constable in Rs 5 lakh bribery trap

The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested an Enforcement Directorate officer and a head constable in connection with a Rs 5 lakh bribery case, taking immediate enforcement action against institutional misconduct.

The arrested officials, posted at the ED Lucknow Zonal Office, were identified as Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi. Dwivedi was serving at the agency on deputation from the Central Reserve Police Force.

What happened

The case stems from an ongoing money laundering inquiry in which the complainant's father received two official summonses from the ED Lucknow Zonal Office in August and September 2026. According to investigators, Dwivedi subsequently contacted the individual and demanded Rs 5 lakh in illegal gratification to extend assistance and favourable treatment in the pending case.

The complainant reported the bribery demand to the federal anti-corruption agency, which verified the claims before formally registering a First Information Report on Friday, 23 October 2026. The CBI charged both officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

How the trap was laid

Following the registration of the FIR, the CBI coordinated a multi-city trap operation to apprehend the suspects red-handed.

Investigators laid a trap in Delhi, where Dwivedi had travelled to collect the cash on behalf of Kumar. CBI operatives caught the head constable at the moment he accepted the Rs 5 lakh bribe.

After being apprehended, Dwivedi placed a telephone call to Kumar to confirm the money had been collected. On receiving that confirmation, a secondary CBI team deployed at the ED Zonal Office in Lucknow moved in and took Kumar into custody at approximately 3 pm.

What happens next

The CBI stated that further investigation is underway to determine whether additional officials were involved in the arrangement or if the accused were acting independently. The identity of the complainant and the precise details of the underlying money laundering case have not been released.

The prompt trap and arrest demonstrate the central government's firm zero-tolerance posture toward administrative corruption, ensuring that anti-corruption standards are rigorously enforced even within primary investigative bodies.