The CBI today questioned the private secretary of Railway Minister PK Bansal in connection with the alleged Rs 10 crore bribery scandal involving Railway Board Member Mahesh Kumar and the minister's nephew V Singla.


Rahul Bhandari, a 1997-batch IAS officer from Punjab cadre, reached the CBI headquarters in the morning and was confronted with his telephonic conversations with Singla which are understood to be related to elevation of Kumar in the Railway Board and his chances of becoming Member (Electrical), CBI sources said.


The sources said the agency is also likely to question three more officials who are part of Bansal's staff. They said Bhandari's conversations were tapped by the agency after it put Kumar's and Singla's phone on surveillance.


The conversations revolve around Kumar's postings in the Railway Board, they claimed. The sources said Bhandari could be a crucial link as the conversations are understood to carry reference to Bansal.