CBI officer who exposed scam shot with arrow

LUCKNOW: A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer in Lucknow's Hazratganj on Friday had to pay a hefty price for uncovering a railway scam in 1993 - when an iron-tipped traditional arrow pierced his chest in broad daylight.

The incident occurred around 11:15am at the main gate of the CBI office located on Naval Kishore Road, Hazratganj - one of Lucknow's busiest areas.

Eyewitnesses were stunned as a man emerged from behind a tree, aimed a wooden bow, and released an iron-tipped arrow directly at CBI ASI Virendra Singh , piercing his chest and knocking him to the ground.

The accused, identified as Dinesh Murmu, a former railway employee from Khadagpur, Munger district in Bihar, was immediately overpowered by onlookers and handed over to police.

Sources said that Murmu nursed a grudge for over three decades after losing his job in a 1993 CBI-led railway trap case that Singh helped investigate.

Murmu is reportedly from a tribal community and worked as a junior employee in Indian Railways.

After his dismissal, he returned to his village and largely lived off the grid. Preliminary questioning suggests that he spent months preparing for the attack and may have even practised using the weapon in isolated forested areas.

According to police, the attacker used a handmade wooden bow and a sharpened metal arrow, reportedly crafted specifically for the assault. He waited behind a tree near the CBI gate, timing the attack for maximum impact as Singh stood momentarily alone. Singh was rushed to Lucknow's civil hospital with a 5cm wound to the left side of his chest.

Chief medical superintendent Dr Rajesh Srivastava confirmed that Singh was in a stable condition and under continuous observation. "If the arrow struck just slightly to the right, it could have pierced a major artery or even the heart," he said.

CBI officers are also reviewing whether Singh received any threats in recent months, or if there were signs of surveillance prior to the attack.