Patna, April 29 (IANS) An Executive Engineer of the Planning and Development Department in Bihar has been caught red-handed while accepting Rs 2 lakh bribe.
The accused, Ajay Kumar, was arrested by a team from the State Vigilance Unit (SVU) from Motihari, the headquarters of East Champaran district.
According to SVU officials, Kumar took a bribe to release payment for a completed project in the district.
Acting on a complaint filed by the aggrieved party, the SVU laid a meticulously planned trap and caught him red-handed while accepting the bribe.
Officials confirmed that Rs 2 lakh in cash was recovered from the spot during the operation.
Following the arrest, Kumar is being intensively interrogated, and a detailed investigation into his properties and financial transactions is underway.
He will be taken to Patna for further proceedings. An FIR is being registered in the Patna Vigilance police station, and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act are being invoked against him.
This action by the Vigilance Department has sent shockwaves through government offices and is being viewed by many as a significant move in the ongoing crackdown on corruption.
The incident is also widely discussed among the public and is seen as a step toward accountability and transparency in public service.
On March 18, the SVU arrested a Kanoongo (revenue officer) on graft charges in Bihar’s Supaul district. The accused, Vikas Kumar, was caught red-handed accepting Rs 5,000 from the complainant and resident Anupam Kumar.
The SVU laid the trap in Gudiya Panchayat under Jadia police station limits and arrested him.
Last month, in a major crackdown on corruption, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided seven locations across the state in connection with a money laundering case and recovered Rs 11.64 crore in cash.
The raids were conducted in connection with complaints against senior IAS officer Sanjeev Hans.
Hans, a 1997-batch IAS officer, currently facing charges of disproportionate assets and an alleged rape case, is serving jail term in Patna’s Beur jail.
–IANS
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