The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has intensified its crackdown on corruption in Jharkhand. In two separate operations, the District AYUSH Officer of Chatra and a Block Coordinator in Bundu, Ranchi, were caught red-handed while accepting bribes. These actions highlight the ACB's vigilance and effective measures against corruption in the state.
Chatra: District AYUSH Officer Arrested For Taking Rs 10,000 Bribe
The ACB arrested District AYUSH Medical Officer Dr. Ram Prakash Verma on Tuesday for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 at his office. According to reports, Dr Verma was demanding this amount from Dr Priya Kumari, an AYUSH Community Health Medical Officer posted in Tandwa.
Dr Priya Kumari had not received her honorarium for the months of December and January. It is alleged that Dr Verma was exerting constant pressure on her and demanding money to release the pending payments. Distressed by the harassment, Dr Priya lodged a written complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s Hazaribagh office.
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Following the complaint, the Superintendent of Police (ACB) ordered a verification of the claims. Once the demand for a bribe was confirmed, a trap team was formed to execute the arrest. The ACB officials caught Dr Verma red-handed in the presence of two independent witnesses. Dr. Verma, originally a resident of Khunti district, had taken charge in Chatra on August 16, 2023. He has been taken to Hazaribagh for further legal proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Ranchi: Block Coordinator Caught Accepting Rs 25,000
In another operation, the ACB Ranchi team arrested Jagarnath Gop, the Block Coordinator of Bundu, on Monday while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000. The arrest took place at the office of the Assistant Engineer, Drinking Water and Sanitation Sub-Division, Bundu. After being presented in court, he was sent into judicial custody.
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The complainant in this case is Shahid Raza, a resident of Sahibganj district. He had filed a written complaint stating that he had constructed approximately 169 NADEP soak pits under the Jal and Swachh Bharat Mission across various panchayats in the Bundu block.
The accused Block Coordinator, Jagarnath Gop, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1,81,475 to facilitate the payment for this construction work. After verifying the complaint and finding the allegations to be true, the ACB Ranchi registered a case on February 1. The following day, February 2, the ACB successfully apprehended the official while he was accepting a partial payment of the bribe.