Assam Government Official Caught Red-Handed Taking A Bribe

GUWAHATI: Caught red- handed receiving a bribe, an assistant engineer with the Assam Irrigation Department in the Baksa district was detained, according to the police.

Assam Police's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC) unit carried out the operation in which the accused was nabbed.

The arrest follows a complaint filed with the V&AC department that Mridul Duari, the assistant engineer at the office of the executive engineer, Suklai Serfang, in the Goreswar division (irrigation), demanded Rs 30,000 as bribe from the complainant in exchange for issuing work orders to the said complainant, who had been awarded a contract through a tender process in the irrigation division.

On Wednesday in Baksa's Suklai Serfang Goreswar Division (Irrigation), the Assam Police's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC) unit reportedly detained the assistant engineer Mridul Duari.

After being given a contract in the irrigation division, he asked the complainant for a bribe of Rs 30,000 in exchange for issuing a work order. Later, the accused reduced the amount of bribe payment to Rs 25,000.

“Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached this Directorate for taking necessary legal action against the above-mentioned public servant,” a statement issued by the department said.

The officer was promptly nabbed in a trap set by a team of V&AC investigators after accepting Rs 20,000 from the complainant's friend as part of the demanded bribe, it continued.

“The tainted bribe money has been recovered from the possession of the accused public servant and it has been seized accordingly in presence of independent witnesses,” the statement said.

The official was physically searched, and it was discovered that he had an additional Rs 10,000 in his possession.

“During the search of the body of the apprehended public servant, an additional amount of Rs 10,000 was recovered and seized in the presence of independent witnesses. Finding sufficient evidence against the accused public servant, he was arrested by the vigilance team,” the statement said.

In this connection, a case was registered at the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) police station (vide ACB P.S. case number 33/2023) under Section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against the apprehended public servant. “Necessary legal follow-up action is underway,” it added.

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