The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested two Enforcement Directorate officials in Lucknow on October 23, 2026, after catching them in a ₹5 lakh bribery trap. NDTV reported that Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi were arrested following a complaint regarding an alleged Rs 5 lakh bribe demand linked to an Enforcement Directorate case.
How the Extortion Scheme Unravelled
The anti-corruption operation began when a complainant approached federal investigators to report a corrupt demand. The complainant’s father had received two formal summons from the Enforcement Directorate’s Lucknow Zonal Office in August and September 2026. Head Constable Manoj Dwivedi allegedly leveraged these notices to extract illicit payments.
CBI arrested an Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar and a head constable Manoj Dwivedi of the ED’s Lucknow Zonal Office in a Rs 5-lakh bribery case. HC was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe on behalf of the enforcement officer to favour a complainant’s father in an ED case
According to SSBCrack, Dwivedi demanded Rs 5 lakh in exchange for helping the complainant’s father in an ED case. Acting swiftly on the grievance, the CBI laid a targeted trap on Friday, October 23, 2026. Investigators caught Dwivedi red-handed while he was demanding and accepting the cash on behalf of Enforcement Officer Deepak Kumar.
Deputation Status and Official Charges
While both men operated out of the same regional branch, their administrative backgrounds differed significantly. Hindustan Times noted that Manoj Dwivedi was deployed on deputation and was not an ED cadre officer. Instead, he was deployed to the agency on deputation from the Central Reserve Police Force, serving in the capacity of a head constable.
Following their apprehension, both suspects were formally charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Unanswered Questions and Broader Agency Operations
Despite the rapid arrests, federal authorities have kept vital specifics under wraps. Official statements from the CBI omitted any disclosure regarding the true nature or subject matter of the underlying enforcement case that triggered the initial summons. Furthermore, the identities of both the complainant and his father remain protected in all public releases.
The crackdown in Lucknow coincides with separate anti-corruption sweeps conducted by the central agency. In a distinct operation reported alongside the Lucknow arrests, the CBI apprehended Muhammed Fasal K in Kozhikode in connection with an international cyber fraud syndicate involving a ₹1.04 crore scam and smuggled debit cards.
