The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested a section officer posted in the Union home ministry for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 2 crore to a senior agency officer to influence the investigation in a case involving a public sector undertaking and a private company, sources said.

A CBI official said the accused, Dheeraj Kumar Singh, was caught red-handed while offering Rs 16 lakh as the first instalment of the alleged bribe to the agency officer. Dinesh Chand Gupta, an alleged middleman, was also arrested.

“CBI had registered a case on a complaint received from the CBI officer alleging that a section officer of the MHA and a private person offered him a bribe of Rs 2 crore in lieu of his help in settling a preliminary enquiry being dealt with in CBI,” said Nitin Wakankar, agency spokesperson.

The agency laid a trap and caught Singh and Gupta while they were giving the Rs 16 lakh to the DIG-ranked CBI officer, the agency said. Searches are being conducted at the premises of the accused persons.

Dheeraj Kumar Singh was posted with the police division in the home ministry that deals with transfer/posting/disciplinary action against IPS officers. The home ministry is the cadre controlling authority of IPS officers.

Sources said the CBI had filed a preliminary inquiry in January into a graft case in which the agency is probing the role of several government officials.

“CBI also advises the public not to attempt to settle any investigation matters with the agency by using influence and also not to be allured by services of middlemen who may offer to settle cases with the agency,” a statement from the agency said.