The Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) in Bihar apprehended a junior engineer, Aman Kumar, in Sahibganj under Muzaffarpur district while he was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000. This arrest came after a complaint was filed about the engineer’s alleged demand for illegal gratification. The incident has raised concerns within government departments in the district and underscores the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in public offices.
The complainant, Rajkumar Tiwari, reported to the SVU office in Patna that the junior engineer sought a bribe of Rs 25,000 for expediting work related to laying paving blocks in Sahibganj. Following the complaint, a discreet verification exercise was conducted by the Vigilance Department, confirming the allegations. Subsequently, a special raid team, led by SVU Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Singh, conducted a trap operation.
During a pre-planned operation, the complainant handed over Rs 9,000 as the first installment of the bribe amount to the engineer, leading to his immediate arrest by the SVU team. The accused has been charged under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and was taken to Patna for further legal proceedings. The SVU emphasized that such anti-corruption measures will persist to uphold transparency and integrity in government services.
On a related note, the SVU had previously arrested the in-charge District Agriculture Officer of Muzaffarpur and his driver for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. Himanshu Kumar, the officer, and his driver, Rambabu Rai, were apprehended during a similar trap operation in Muzaffarpur district. The Agriculture Officer was accused of receiving bribes from fertiliser shopkeepers through his driver, who acted as an intermediary in collecting illegal payments.
