Mukhiya held for accepting Rs 63,000 bribe in Bihar

ARA/ PATNA: A team of vigilance investigation bureau arrested Sarna panchayat mukhiya Sanjay Kumar Singh (45) while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 63,000 at his residence at Sarna village in Bhojpur district from a ward councillor Phulsundari Devi on Friday. The arrested mukhiya is also Shahpur block president of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).
Phulsundari is the councillor of ward number eight which falls under Sarna panchayat. The raiding team was led by DSP Sarvesh Kumar Singh.
Vigilance sources said the woman councillor had constructed drainage and had got water-supply pipelines laid in her ward under the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ambitious seven-resolves scheme and the mukhiya was demanding a bribe to clear her bank cheque against the expenses made. They said that it is the mukhiya who used to make payments against such construction work under the scheme.
“The mukhiya had demanded 40% as commission from the entire amount spent on construction work. A total bribe money, as calculated by mukhiya was Rs 1,26,600,” a senior official of the bureau said preferring anonymity.
He said the final deal was struck at Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 63,000 was the first instalment to be paid to the mukhiya. “The bribe was to be paid on Thursday. However, he was busy due to some meeting of his party at the panchayat- level. We delayed the raid by a day after which action was taken on Friday,” said the official.
Vigilance bureau sources said the ward councillor had written to the block development officer and others for clearing her payment against the construction work but no action was taken. “She finally wrote to the bureau on February 17. The very next day, the bureau verified her complaint and found it to be true that the mukhiya was demanding money to clear her payment. Following this, a trap team was formed to nab him,” he said.