Supply officer caught taking Rs 50,000 bribe in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj

Ranchi — In a fresh crackdown on corruption, the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested a Block Supply Officer in Barharwa area of Sahibganj district while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.

The operation was carried out by the Dumka unit of the ACB, which caught the accused, Niranjan Kumar, red-handed. He had reportedly demanded money from a Public Distribution System (PDS) dealer in exchange for ensuring smooth ration supply and helping with official work.

Acting on a complaint filed by the dealer, the ACB team laid a trap and arrested the officer while he was taking the first instalment of the bribe.

This marks the seventh such arrest in Jharkhand in March as part of an intensified anti-corruption drive by investigative agencies.

Earlier, on March 17, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested a junior engineer of the South Eastern Railway in Bokaro for allegedly taking Rs 15,000 to facilitate an electricity connection.

On March 13, two employees of the District Land Acquisition Office in Deoghar were caught for allegedly seeking a 5 per cent commission to release compensation funds linked to a ring road project.

On March 12, a sub-inspector in Koderma and a panchayat secretary in Gumla were also arrested in separate cases for accepting bribes related to a liquor case and bill clearance, respectively.

Officials said further investigations are underway to check if the accused have assets beyond their known sources of income and to identify any larger corruption network.

The ACB has appealed to citizens to report any bribery demands through its helpline or nearest office instead of paying bribes.

With inputs from IANS