ACB arrests forest officer taking Rs 40k bribe in Sriganganagar

Jaipur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested a Regional Forest Officer (RFO) posted in Raisinghnagar range of Sriganganagar district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000, officials said.The accused, identified as Ashok Singh, had allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from a contractor in exchange for issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for payment clearance. The contractor's firm had completed work to remove tree stumps from two minor canals under the forest range. According to ACB officials, the officer allegedly threatened to blacklist the firm and withhold the NOC if the bribe was not paid, prompting the contractor to approach the bureau with a complaint. Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap under the supervision of Additional SP Pawan Kumar Meena. The officer was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 40,000 from the complainant and was arrested on the spot. The bribe amount was also recovered. Officials said further investigation is underway, including scrutiny of the accused's records and assets to check for disproportionate assets or past involvement in corruption cases. Searches were also conducted at the officer's office and residence. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.