Gujarat: ACB nabs cops for accepting Rs 5 lakh bribe

Ahmedabad, June 26 (IANS) The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday trapped a serving police sub-inspector and a head constable at Bopal Police Station in Ahmedabad Rural for allegedly demanding and accepting a Rs five lakh bribe to avoid initiating criminal proceedings in a complaint under investigation.

The complainant, described as a “vigilant citizen”, had approached the bureau after alleging that an application filed against him at Bopal Police Station was being probed by the accused officers.

During the inquiry, the officers initially demanded Rs 10 lakh to ensure that no criminal case was registered against him. After negotiations, the demand was allegedly reduced to Rs five lakh and finalised.

Acting on the complaint, the Kheda ACB team laid a trap, with independent panch witnesses.

During the operation, the head constable Dilipkumar Bhoi allegedly engaged in conversation with the complainant and accepted Rs five lakh as a bribe.

He then contacted the sub-inspector, Prital Chaudhary, via mobile phone on speaker mode and informed her that the money had been received, after which she allegedly conveyed her approval over the call.

The constable was caught on the spot with the cash, while the sub-inspector was not found at the location. The seized amount was recovered in full, and both officers have been booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case is among a series of recent ACB actions against police personnel in Gujarat.

In a similar incident in Ahmedabad rural, an assistant sub-inspector and two Gram Rakshak Dal members were trapped for allegedly accepting a Rs 30,000 bribe after initially demanding a higher amount from a cosmetics manufacturer; all three were caught during a staged operation, and the cash was recovered on the spot.

In another case, a police constable posted at Sola High Court Police Station, and his alleged middleman, were booked for accepting Rs 50,000 in a trap laid near Sarkhej Circle, where the constable was absconding while the aide was caught red-handed.

Separately, a Khambhat city police sub-inspector was also trapped for allegedly demanding Rs 30,000 for a favourable report in a land-related matter, with the ACB recovering the entire bribe amount during the operation.

The bureau has maintained that citizens can report corruption complaints through its helpline, as part of ongoing statewide anti-corruption drives.

–IANS

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