Patna, Feb 3 (IANS) The deep-rooted corruption in land-related work in Bihar received a major setback on Tuesday when the State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) caught a revenue employee red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000 in Nawada district.​

The accused, Gulshan Kumar, posted in the Roh Circle, was arrested during a well-planned trap operation near the Sitapur Bansi Chak intersection.​

The dramatic arrest has sent shockwaves across the revenue department, exposing how officials allegedly exploit online systems by deliberately delaying land demarcation and correction work to extort money through offline channels.​

A special vigilance team from Patna, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar Srivastava, laid a trap after receiving a verified complaint.​

The team discreetly cordoned off the area near Sitapur Bansi Chak intersection.​

As soon as the complainant, Mantu Kumar, a resident of Nawada, handed over the pre-decided bribe amount of Rs 35,000 to the revenue employee, the vigilance team swooped in and caught Gulshan Kumar red-handed.​

According to officials, Mantu Kumar had applied online for land demarcation and correction of land records, but his application was deliberately rejected twice.​

When he personally met the revenue employee, he was allegedly asked to pay Rs 35,000 to get the work cleared and was advised to avoid the online process and take the offline route.​

Taking the complaint seriously, Director General of Vigilance Jitendra Singh Gangwar ordered a discreet verification.​

The verification was conducted by Officer Manoj Kumar, who confirmed that the accused employee was demanding bribes from farmers and landowners by intentionally obstructing online applications.​

Following confirmation of the allegations, the vigilance team executed the trap operation on Tuesday.​

The complainant stated that while the government is promoting online applications to ensure transparency, corrupt officials deliberately reject such applications.​

This forces applicants, particularly poor farmers and landowners, to approach them directly, where bribes are demanded to settle the work offline.​

According to vigilance officials, this corrupt practice had been operating for a long time in the Roh Circle, but Tuesday’s operation finally exposed and dismantled the racket.​

After his arrest, Gulshan Kumar is being brought to Patna for intensive interrogation.​

Vigilance officials are probing whether more employees were involved in similar practices.​

Following this action, a sense of fear has gripped revenue employees across Nawada district, including the Roh Circle office.​

The Vigilance Bureau reiterated that its zero-tolerance policy against corruption will continue and that strict action will be taken against anyone found demanding bribes at any level.​

–IANS

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