An IAS officer was today caught 'red-handed' for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a revenue officer in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials said.
"Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Bhanupratappur, Ranbir Sharma, had demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 from patwari Sudhir Lakra allegedly threatening him of taking action against him based on reports of forgery published in local newspapers in connection with the victim," Superintendent of Police (ACB) Rajnesh Singh told PTI.
No arrests have been made in the case so far, he said.
"Disturbed over continuous demands of bribe from the SDM, who is a 2012-batch IAS officer, Lakra approached the ACB following which he was given a voice-recorder to trap the SDM," the SP said.
On August 1, Lakra met the SDM requesting him for a relief in the bribe amount. However, Sharma did not budge and took the first instalment of Rs 20,000 through his peon Ganeshram Sori, he said.
"We have audio clips of conversation between the victim and the SDM," Singh added.
Subsequently, a trap was laid today and the peon was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of Rs 10,000 from Lakra, Singh said.
"During the interrogation, Sori admitted of taking bribe on behalf of the SDM from patwari," the SP said.
Lakra has accused the SDM of pressuring him for bribe in the form of cash and luxury goods in the past too, Singh added.
Besides, the victim also alleged that the officer threatened him with transferring him to the naxal-affected Sukma district if he did not fulfill his demands, the SP said.
A case has been registered in this connection and the officer was being interrogated, he added.
