Assam government employee arrested for accepting Rs 5,000 bribe

Guwahati: Sleuths of the vigilance and anti-corruption department of Assam Police caught a govt employee red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a person in his office in Guwahati, officials said.

The arrested govt employee was identified as Nabajyoti Deka, senior assistant, office of the Directorate of Health Service, Hengrabari, Kamrup (M).

Rajib Saikia, CPRO of Assam police, said a complaint was received at the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam, alleging that Deka demanded Rs 10,000 as a bribe from the complainant (a doctor) for processing his unpaid arrear salary bill work.

“The initial bribe demand was Rs 20,000, which was reduced to Rs 10,000 after negotiation. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to take necessary legal action against the public servant. Accordingly, a trap was laid on Sunday by a team from the directorate at the office of the Directorate of Health Service, Hengrabari, and Deka was apprehended immediately after he accepted Rs 5,000 as a part of the demanded bribe in his office. The money was recovered from his possession and was seized in the presence of witnesses,” Saikia said.

The CPRO added that, on finding sufficient evidence against the accused, he was arrested. “A case was registered in ACB Police Station on Saturday under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018),” he said.