Finance ministry official's relative held for bribery

The CBI Monday arrested the relative of a finance ministry official for accepting a bribe of Rs.5 lakh from a man in Chennai on his behalf, said an official.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sivaram, brother-in-law of A.Paramasivan, a director in the office of the director general of audit in the ministry's expenditure department, red-handed.

"It was alleged that the director deputed in central expenditure department at AGCR building in New Delhi had demanded an amount of Rs.35 lakh as a bribe for regularising the irregularities of a nursing college being run by the complainant at Chennai," said a CBI official.

Paramasivan directed the complainant to pay the first instalment of Rs.5 lakh Monday to his brother-in-law at a designated place in Chennai, said the official, adding a trap was set and Sivaram arrested.

Searches are being conducted at the offices and residences of Paramasivan at Delhi, Noida, Kanchipuram and other places near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu to arrest him.

"During searches conducted so far, cash of Rs.95 lakh and several incriminating documents has been recovered," said the official.