CBI Uncovers Alleged Bribery Racket in Western Railway Promotion Exam

The CBI is probing a railway exam fraud with the agency filing a case after the Western Railway vigilance department flagged anomalies in the online promotional test held on March 16, 2024.

The agency booked senior railway officers, technical staff, clerical employees and four promoted Staff Welfare Inspectors (SWIs). The accused face charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, The Times of India reported.

Coaching and Credit Schemes

The probe found out that a coaching racket rigged the promotional test. The CBI found that classes disguised as syllabus lessons actually taught candidates how to cheat, secure help from railway staff and handle vigilance questioning. A senior railway officer's wife rented the commercial space where these sessions ran, The Times of India reported.

The alleged Bribes cost up to ₹5 lakh with the agency discovered that organizers urged test-takers to borrow money from a credit cooperative society to fund these illegal payments. While the demanded rates varied from R ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh, investigators suspect successful candidates paid at least ₹3 lakh to secure their promotions, the report said.

According to the report, an internal railway inquiry had earlier flagged a suspicious spike in loan disbursals immediately preceding departmental examinations. Several candidates secured these loans close to the exam dates to arrange the bribe money.

Server Manipulation and Scores

According to the report, out of 100 test-takers, four railway workers scored between 87.67% and 90.33% after securing loans just before the test. Investigators tracked ATM cash withdrawals and bank transfers involving their relatives during the exam period.

The test started almost two hours late while investigators also found out that the exam session stayed open on the host server for over two days instead of shutting down upon completion.

Investigators suspect the Anydesk tool allowed unauthorized users to log in after the test ended, before the server was formatted, the report stated. The agency is also tracking unexplained bank deposits made to several railway officers linked to the test.