Patna: A sub-inspector in Bihar has been arrested after being caught allegedly accepting a bribe during a sting operation by the state’s vigilance bureau, officials said on Tuesday.
Anil Kumar Singh, posted at Puraini police station in Madhepura district, was detained after he was found taking Rs 7,000 from a complainant in exchange for submitting a favourable report in a land dispute case. The arrest followed a complaint that the officer had been demanding money under the pretext of carrying out a land verification.
According to vigilance officials, the complainant, Vashishth Kumar Vishwakarma, a resident of Auraiya village, approached the bureau in Patna on March 20, alleging persistent demands for a bribe to move forward an inquiry linked to a case pending before the circle officer’s office.
The bureau said it carried out a preliminary verification of the allegations, which were found to be substantiated. A trap team was subsequently formed under the supervision of the vigilance superintendent of police, Iqbal Mehdi.
On April 7, officers in plain clothes laid a trap and apprehended Singh at the moment he accepted the money. Officials said the recovered currency notes had been treated with a chemical substance as part of the operation and would be produced as evidence in court.
A case has been registered against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and further legal proceedings are under way, the vigilance bureau said.
Speaking after the arrest, Mehdi said the operation underscored the state’s “zero tolerance” approach to corruption and urged members of the public to report any demands for bribes by government officials.
