A State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) team nabbed an Assistant Secretary (AS) and a Traffic Sub-Inspector (TSI) posted at the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) office on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a transporter in lieu of not issuing challans to his vehicles.
DSP Sombir Singh said the action was taken on the basis of a complaint as part of an ongoing anti-corruption drive. TSI Rakesh Rana and AS Manish Madan were arrested after being booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the complaint, the transporter met the two officials at the RTA office in connection with depositing a penalty for a challan issued against his heavy vehicle.
The accused officials allegedly pressured him, stating that if he did not agree to a “settlement”, his vehicles would continue to be challaned. “They initially demanded a bribe of Rs 7,000 per vehicle per month. My friends and I operate around 150 vehicles, for which the total demand was raised to Rs 10.5 lakh per month. Later, the deal was settled at Rs 8 lakh per month, out of which Rs 5.5 lakh had already been paid,” the complainant said.
On May 5, a further payment of Rs 1 lakh was demanded. Unwilling to pay, the complainant approached the Bureau and informed officials about the matter.
Based on the complaint, a team was formed. Acting on a planned operation, the ACB team caught the TSI while allegedly accepting the bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The Assistant Secretary was subsequently arrested based on evidence collected during the investigation.
