Patna: Authorities in Bihar have arrested a senior agriculture officer and his driver in Muzaffarpur after they were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. The arrests were carried out by the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) on Tuesday following a complaint from a local businessman.
The complainant alleged that the officer, Himanshu Kumar, who serves as Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer and In-Charge District Agriculture Officer, threatened to cancel his licence under the pretext of inspecting his fertilizer shop. According to the allegation, Kumar had demanded Rs 50,000 through his driver, Rambabu Rai.
The SVU conducted a covert investigation and, upon verifying the claims, laid a trap to catch the two accused in the act. A raid team led by Deputy Superintendents of Police Bindeshwar Prasad and Sudhir Kumar recovered the cash at the scene.
An FIR has been registered at the SVU police station, and both Kumar and Rai are currently being interrogated. Officials have emphasised that the government remains committed to taking strict action against corruption.
