Patna: Bihar’s vigilance authorities carried out a major crackdown on corruption on Wednesday, arresting five government officers and employees across multiple districts while allegedly taking bribes.
Among those apprehended was Mohammad Ghulam Sarwar, Block Education Officer (BEO) of Shahpur in Ara, who was allegedly caught demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The arrest followed a complaint by Santosh Kumar Pathak, a teacher from Nenua village in Buxar, whose salary of Rs 8,540 had reportedly been withheld due to a missing service book. Sarwar is said to have demanded 12 per cent of the salary amount for its release.
In East Champaran, sub-inspector Mashrur Alam of Sangrampur police station was detained following a viral video alleging he took bribes during vehicle checks. Alam had been posted at the station for the past nine months.
Further south, the Surveillance Bureau arrested sub-inspector Umesh Ram of Aurangabad Sadar police station, who was allegedly caught red-handed accepting Rs 20,000. He is scheduled to appear in court in Patna.
The vigilance team also apprehended Mohammad Mosahid Khan, an MSME Udyog Mitra in Madhubani’s Industry Department, for allegedly taking Rs 15,000 from a local resident, Sushil Kumar, to process a verification certificate for the third instalment of a loan under the Micro Small Entrepreneur Scheme.
In Khagaria, Satyendra Singh, a Halka employee at Alauli Zonal Office, was arrested for reportedly demanding Rs 20,000 for the mutation of land. The complaint had been filed by Guddu Kumar, a resident of Sahorba village.
