New Delhi, Aug 25: The CBI has arrested an executive engineer of the North Central Railways for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a contractor for processing payments and granting other favours, officials said today. The alleged bribe was the first installment in the total of Rs 19 lakhs demanded by Panna Lal Sailani, an executive engineer (constructions) posted in Tundla, a major railway junction in Uttar Pradesh, they said.

It was alleged in the complaint that Sailani was demanding Rs 19 lakh for making entries in the measurement book, a record of measurements of construction work done by a contractor, and to process contractor's due payments, the officials said. "The CBI laid a trap and the accused was caught red-handed at Agra while accepting a bribe of Rs 5 Lakh as first instalment from the complainant," a CBI Spokesperson said in a statement.