Jaipur, June 15 (IANS) Acting on the directions of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) headquarters, the ACB unit in Bundi on Monday arrested a Village Development Officer (VDO) red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.

According to Director General, ACB, Shri Govind Gupta, the accused, Mukesh Kumar, son of Shri Ramratan, aged 30 and a resident of Jayasthal village under Gendoli police station limits in Bundi district, is currently posted as the Village Development Officer of Gardada Gram Panchayat under Bundi Panchayat Samiti.

He had allegedly demanded a bribe for processing payment related to a public water point (Panghat) construction project.

The complaint received by the ACB alleged that the accused had been harassing the complainant and demanding approximately Rs 4.50 lakh, equivalent to 30 per cent of the total project cost of Rs 15 lakh, for releasing payment for the construction work executed by the complainant’s firm, Taru & Company, in Gardada Gram Panchayat.

Following verification of the complaint, a trap operation was conducted under the supervision of Omprakash Meena, Deputy Inspector General, ACB Kota Range.

The operation was led by Premchand, Deputy Superintendent of Police, ACB Bundi.

During the operation, the accused was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 50,000 as part of the allegedly demanded bribe amount from the complainant.

The accused received the money outside his rented accommodation and initially kept it in the pocket of the trousers he was wearing.

However, upon noticing the ACB team approaching, he removed the cash from his pocket and threw it onto the road in an apparent attempt to dispose of the evidence.

The accused has been taken into custody, and interrogation, along with other legal formalities, is being carried out under the supervision of Additional Director General, ACB, Smita Srivastava, and Inspector General, ACB, S. Parimala.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act is being registered and further investigation is underway.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has appealed to citizens to actively support the fight against corruption by reporting incidents through its 24×7 toll-free helpline 1064 or WhatsApp helpline 9413502834.

The Bureau has assured complete assistance in ensuring that citizens’ legitimate work is carried out without corruption.

–IANS

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