ACB nabs WCD officer taking Rs 5,000 bribe in Pokhran

Jaisalmer: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Wednesday arrested an assistant administrative officer of the Women and Child Development dept, Pokhran in Jaisalmer district, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.

Narayan Togas, deputy inspector general of police, ACB Jodhpur, said the ACB’s Jaisalmer unit received a complaint alleging that the complainant’s mother, posted at Anganwadi Centre Rampura, had been served a show-cause notice by the CDPO, Sakda headquarters, Pokhran. The notice was issued after a surprise inspection of the Anganwadi centre on June 3, during which she was allegedly found absent.

According to the complaint, when the complainant visited the office to submit a reply to the notice, Bhawani Singh Charan allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 to prepare the reply, place it before the child development officer and ensure that the notice was disposed of. He also allegedly harassed the complainant while pressing for the payment.

The ACB said the complaint was discreetly verified and found to be genuine. A trap was subsequently laid Wednesday. Officials said that as soon as the complainant handed over the chemically treated currency notes to the accused, the ACB team acted on the pre-arranged signal and caught him red-handed.

Togas said the operation was carried out under Narpat Chand, additional superintendent of police, ACB Chowki, Jaisalmer. Bhawani Singh was arrested while allegedly accepting the bribe amount.

ACB ASP Narpat Chand said a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was being registered against the accused. He was taken into custody and further investigation was underway. Searches were also conducted at his residence and other premises to assess his assets and examine suspicious documents.