Raipur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested the chief executive officer of janpad panchayat in Sakti district, along with a clerk and a peon, for allegedly accepting a Rs one lakh bribe from a complainant in exchange for releasing funds sanctioned under the Prime Minister Adarsh Gram Yojana.
The accused were identified as janpad panchayat CEO Nikhil Kashyap, assistant grade-III employee Avinash Thakur, and peon Lachhan Bhanu.
Bribe Demand for Fund Release
According to the ACB, the complainant, Arun Bhardwaj of Limtara village, alleged that Rs 20 lakh had been sanctioned for development works, including construction of a drainage system and a bathing ghat, in the gram panchayat headed by his mother, who is the elected sarpanch. While a cheque of Rs eight lakh had already been released, the remaining Rs 12 lakh was pending. Bhardwaj alleged that when he approached the janpad panchayat office to facilitate release of the balance amount, Kashyap and Thakur demanded Rs two lakh as commission.
Complaint and Trap
The complainant approached the ACB’s Bilaspur unit, stating that he did not wish to pay the bribe and wanted action against those allegedly demanding it. During verification of the complaint, ACB officials found that an initial instalment of Rs one lakh had allegedly already been collected through the office peon, officials said. Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap on June 15. According to investigators, the complainant handed over the remaining amount to the accused persons, following which the ACB team intervened and allegedly caught the trio red-handed while accepting the money.
Recovery and Legal Action
The tainted cash was recovered and seized from the spot. ACB officials said a case has been registered against the three accused under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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