GUWAHATI:
Continuing its crusade against bribery, sleuths of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (VAC) department arrested another lat mandal, a government official who measures land, while taking a bribe from a person at Sapekhati in Charaideo district on August 4.
“Our relentless campaign against corruption amongst government officers continues. Today, @DIR_VAC_ASSAM trapped & arrested red handed, Hari Prasad Das, Lat Mondal of Sapekhati Revenue Circle, Charaideo district, while accepting bribe money. Lawful action is being taken,” Special DGP GP Singh said in a tweet.
A statement from the Assam Police said that Das, who is a lat mandal of Sapekhati Revenue Circle, had demanded a sum of Rs 10,000 as bribe from an individual for the mutation of a plot of land measuring 1 Katha 3 Lecha located at Borhat Misajan village. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the individual approached the VAC to take necessary legal action against the lat mandal.
“Accordingly, a trap was laid at Borhat Misajan village by a team of VAC. The lat mandal came to the village to collect the bribe amount from the complainant. Hari Prasad Das was caught red-handed at about 2:35 pm immediately after he received a bribe of Rs 5,000 from the individual,” the statement said.
The bribe money was recovered from Das in the presence of independent witnesses, and a case has been registered at ACB Police Station on vide ACB PS case no 23/2022 under section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Hari Prasad Das. Necessary legal follow-up actions are underway, the statement added.