Nagpur, Jan 19 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Sales Officer of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), posted in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a complainant in connection with the handover of an HPCL retail outlet, an official statement said on Monday.

The CBI said it registered a case on January 16 against the accused, identified as Pratik Tagale, following a written complaint.

The complaint alleged that Tagale demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh to facilitate the handover of an HPCL retail outlet to the complainant’s wife, who is the proprietor of the outlet, the CBI said.

According to the agency, when the complainant expressed his inability to arrange the entire amount in one go, the accused agreed to accept Rs 1 lakh as part payment on January 17, while insisting that the remaining amount be paid after completion of the official work.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on January 17 and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant. The accused was subsequently arrested.

The CBI said further investigation into the case is underway.

In a separate operation, the CBI recently arrested two public servants from the Revenue Department in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on January 16 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a complainant.

They were also caught red-handed during a trap laid by the agency. The CBI said it, along with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), carries out operations regularly in Jammu and Kashmir against corruption in public service by unscrupulous officials.

The CBI actively investigates bribery cases, leading to convictions of public servants and private individuals, including imprisonment and hefty fines.

–IANS

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