Sleuths of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (VAC) department arrested two government officials – a forest range officer, and a lat mandal – in two separate operations in Cachar, and Kamrup districts on August 3.
“Our fight against corruption continues. Today, a team from @DIR_VAC_ASSAM caught red-handed Forest Range Officer, Lakhipur, Cachar district, Debabrata Gogoi, while accepting bribe money. @assampolice,” Special DGP GP Singh said in a tweet.
A statement from the Assam police stated that Debabrata Gogoi, had been demanding Rs 20,000 as a bribe from a timber shop owner for the last two-three months. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the VAC for taking needful legal action against the ranger.
Accordingly, a trap was laid by a team from the VAC to nab Gogoi red-handed, the statement read.
“Debabrata Gogoi accepted a bribe of Rs 15,000 on national highway at Pallarbond under Lakhipur police station. On seeing the team of the VAC, Gogoi ran away in a vehicle along with the bribe money to escape impending apprehension. The team was able to overpower and apprehend him only after placing an improvised blockade on the highway after a hot chase of about one kilometre,” the statement said.
The statement further said that the bribe money amounting to Rs 15,000 was seized from Debabrata Gogoi in the presence of independent witnesses. An additional amount of Rs 10,000 was also recovered from his office chamber which has been seized by the team
In this regard, a case has been registered in ACB Police Station vide ACB PS case no – 22/2022 under section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Debabrata Gogoi. Necessary legal follow-up actions are underway, the statement added.
In another incident, sleuths of VAC caught a lat mandal, Madan Nath, red-handed when he was accepting a bribe of Rs 1,00,000 from an individual for settling the issue of digging of a pond under Chief Minister Amrit Sarovar Yojana of MGNREGA scheme in Sijupara Gaon Panchayat.
The individual approached the VAC for taking legal action against the lat mandal, and accordingly a team from the VAC jumped into action.
“A trap was laid today in the office of the circle officer, Nagarbera Revenue Circle by a team from the VAC. The lat mandal was caught red-handed at about 3:30 pm immediately after he received a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the complainant on the premises of the circle office,” another statement of Assam Police said.
“The bribe money was recovered from Madan Nath in the presence of independent witnesses and has been seized by the team. A case has been registered in ACB Police Station vide ACB P.S case no – 21/2022 under section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Madan Nath,” it added.