The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Shobhit Srivastava, a credit officer at Bank of India’s Shahabad branch in Hardoi, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹10,000.
The arrest took place on Saturday after the CBI set a trap and caught Srivastava red-handed while accepting the bribe. According to officials, he had demanded a 10% commission—₹50,000—for processing a ₹5 lakh loan under the Chief Minister’s Youth Employment Scheme.
Loan Applicant Forced to Pay Bribe
The case was registered against Srivastava on February 28, following a complaint from Ramesh Chandra. Chandra had applied for the loan in his wife Upasana Chandra’s name to start a beauty parlour. However, Srivastava allegedly refused to process the application unless he was paid a bribe.
Fearing rejection, the complainant approached the CBI, which then planned a sting operation. During the operation, Srivastava accepted a negotiated amount of ₹10,000, leading to his immediate arrest.
Legal Action and Investigation
Following his arrest, Srivastava was taken into custody and will be presented before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, CBI Court No. 5, Lucknow. The investigation is still ongoing, and the CBI is looking into whether more people were involved in the case.
Authorities have urged citizens to report corruption and assured strict action against those involved in bribery and misconduct in government-backed financial schemes.
