ACB recovers ₹2.9L bribe money from Pratapgarh SHO; arrest likely after formalities

Jaipur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Saturday said it has recovered nearly Rs 2.9 lakh of the Rs 3 lakh bribe allegedly accepted by Pratapgarh Station House Officer (SHO) Praveen Singh. The agency has registered a corruption case against Singh under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Senior officials said the SHO’s arrest is imminent, pending the completion of procedural formalities and additional evidence collection.

The operation, which took place on May 14, could not be officially executed as a trap due to an incomplete verification process involving recording of the bribe demand. ACB Director General Govind Gupta said that such recordings serve as crucial evidence in bribery cases. “Although the recording was not adequate, our proactive surveillance led to the recovery of the bribe money from the SHO,” Gupta said.

The investigation was initiated after the ACB received a complaint alleging that SHO Singh demanded ₹3 lakh to provide leniency for an accused detained at his police station. Following the complaint, ACB operatives sent a decoy to deliver an advance payment of ₹20,000, accompanied by a hidden recorder. However, the recorded conversation failed to capture the bribe demand clearly enough for a legal trap.

Additional SP, ACB, Ratan Singh, who supervised the operation, said the complainant handed over the advance amount, but the conversation related to the bribe demand was not recorded clearly enough to meet legal requirements for a trap. “While we were planning another verification exercise on May 18 itself, the SHO arranged for the accused to contact his employer and collect the remaining money. Once we received information about the transaction, our teams acted immediately,” Singh said.

The ACB said it recovered around Rs 2.9 lakh of the bribe amount, along with Rs 14,000 from the earlier Rs 20,000 allegedly paid as advance. Officials said statements from the accused’s employer and other supporting material were recorded, and further corroboration is being gathered before arrest and filing of the chargesheet. “The case remains robust, and we are consolidating further evidence to fortify the prosecution before proceeding with the SHO’s arrest and filing the chargesheet,” Singh said.