Nahan, Nov 4 (PTI) A Forest range officer was arrested while allegedly accepting a bribe to avoid seizing two tractors used for transporting sand from the Yamuna River, the Himachal Pradesh State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Wednesday.
The Sirmaur unit of the bureau arrested Sumant Kumar, Range Officer of the Bhagani Forest Range, in Paonta Sahib on Tuesday following a complaint by Ikram, a labourer from Bhagani village in the Paonta subdivision, Superintendent of Police NK Sharma said.
According to the complaint, the officer had allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 from Ikram, threatening to seize two tractors belonging to his brother-in-law, Zulfan, in connection with the extraction and transportation of sand from the Yamuna River.
Ikram approached the Vigilance Bureau after the officer allegedly threatened to confiscate the tractors if the bribe was not paid, Sharma said.
Acting on the complaint, the Sirmaur unit of the bureau devised a plan to apprehend the accused. A vigilance team led by Inspector Manoj Kumar laid a trap in Paonta Sahib and caught the Range Officer as soon as he allegedly accepted the bribe money.
Following the operation, an FIR was registered against Sumant Kumar at the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau police station in Nahan under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, officials said. PTI COR BPL NB
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