Ranchi, March 23: In a significant crackdown on corruption in Jharkhand, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested two individuals on Monday at the Deputy Commissioner Land Reform (DCLR) office in Saraikela. The arrests were made while they were allegedly accepting a bribe of five lakhs.
The arrested individuals include Pritam Acharya, an office employee, and a broker. They are accused of demanding a total of 40 lakhs from complainant Gurucharan Singh Sardar in exchange for settling a land compensation case and providing a favorable report.
On the day of the incident, the complainant arrived with the first installment of five lakhs. As soon as he handed over the money, the ACB team, which had set up a trap, apprehended both suspects. This operation caused a stir at the Saraikela Collectorate and LRD office.
The ACB team has taken both accused to Jamshedpur for further questioning. So far this month, a total of eight individuals have been arrested in Jharkhand for bribery-related offenses.
Earlier, on March 19, the ACB’s Dumka unit arrested Niranjan Kumar, a Block Supply Officer in Sahibganj district, for accepting a bribe of 50,000 from a public distribution system dealer. The officer was demanding illegal payments under the pretext of ensuring smooth ration supply and departmental operations.
On March 17, the CBI caught a junior engineer of South Eastern Railway in Bokaro’s Bhojudiha while accepting a bribe of 15,000. Additionally, on March 13, two employees from the District Land Acquisition Office in Deoghar were arrested for demanding commissions related to the Ring Road project compensation. On March 12, a sub-inspector in Koderma and a Panchayat secretary in Gumla were also caught accepting bribes.
The ACB has stated that they are investigating the arrested individuals for disproportionate assets and possible networks. They have also urged the public not to pay bribes for any government services and to report such demands to the relevant authorities immediately.
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