Guwahati, Aug 17: A team from the Assam directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption laid a trap and arrested an executive engineer in a bribery case in Dima Hasao district on Thursday,
Official sources informed that Manuj Kumar Saikia, executive engineer, PWD (roads and buildings) Haflong division, was caught red-handed in his office at 12:50 pm, immediately after he accepted Rs 10,000 as part of the demanded bribe from the complainant.
The tainted bribe money has been recovered from his possession and has been seized accordingly, in the presence of independent witnesses.
Earlier, a complaint was received at the vigilance directorate alleging that Saikia had demanded Rs 55,000 as bribe from the complainant for releasing the pending bills of the complainant. Later, the executive engineer had reduced the amount of bribe to Rs 25,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the directorate for taking necessary legal action against the public servant and accordingly the trap was laid in the executive engineer’s office.
“Finding sufficient evidence against the accused public servant, he has been arrested by the team of the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption, Assam. In this connection, a case has been registered at anti-corruption bureau (ACB) police station vide ACB PS case number 63/2023 under Section 7 (a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).
Necessary legal follow up action is underway.
Lat mandal apprehended
In another trap, Debasish Barman a lat mandal of the office of the circle officer, Tihu revenue circle, Nalbari district was also apprehended for demanding the bribe and accepting the same through a middleman.
A complaint was received at the directorate alleging that Barman had demanded Rs 2, 00,000 as bribe from the complainant for land-related matters of his father’s land. Later, the lat mandal reduced the bribe amount to Rs 1, 40,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the directorate for taking necessary legal action.
Accordingly, a trap was laid in the office of the circle officer, Tihu revenue circle, Nalbari district and Nayan Barman, a middleman and owner of a computer shop near the office of the circle officer, Tihu was caught red handed at 1:30pm in the presence of independent witnesses immediately after he accepted Rs 5,000 as part of the demanded bribe from the complainant, on behalf of Debasish Barman.
The tainted bribe money has been recovered from his possession and has been seized accordingly in the presence of independent witnesses.
Finding sufficient evidence against lat mandal and the middleman, both have been arrested by the vigilance team.
In this connection, a case has been registered at ACB police station vide ACB P.S. case number 64/2023 under Section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).