Ranchi, March 23 – The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an employee of the Deputy Commissioner, Land Reforms' (DCLR) office and a middleman in Saraikela district, Jharkhand, on Monday, allegedly after they accepted a bribe of Rs 5 lakh, officials said.
The accused have been identified as Pritam Acharya, an employee at the DCLR office, and a broker.
According to officials, the duo had demanded a total bribe of Rs 40 lakh from the complainant, Gurucharan Singh Sardar, in exchange for settling a land compensation case and submitting a favourable report.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap. As per the plan, the complainant arrived at the designated location on Monday with Rs 5 lakh as the first installment of the agreed amount. As soon as the money was handed over, the ACB team, which had been monitoring the situation, swooped in and apprehended both accused.
The operation caused a stir within the Saraikela Collectorate and the Land Reforms office. Following the arrest, the ACB team took both accused to Jamshedpur, where they are currently being questioned.
With this action, the number of arrests in bribery-related cases in Jharkhand so far this month has risen to eight.
Earlier, on March 19, the Dumka unit of the ACB arrested Niranjan Kumar, the Block Supply Officer in Barharwa (Sahibganj district), while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a Public Distribution System (PDS) dealer. He had demanded the amount to ensure the smooth functioning of ration supply and departmental operations.
On March 17, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a Junior Engineer of the South Eastern Railway in Bhojudih (Bokaro) while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.
On March 13, two employees of the District Land Acquisition Office in Deoghar were arrested for allegedly demanding a commission in exchange for facilitating compensation related to a Ring Road project.
On March 12, a Sub-Inspector in Koderma and a Panchayat Secretary in Gumla were also caught accepting bribes in separate operations.
The ACB said that it is also investigating the disproportionate assets of the arrested accused, along with their possible network and links.
The bureau has appealed to the public not to offer bribes for availing government services and to promptly report any such demands to the concerned authorities.
