Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A Lokayukta team caught Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) sub-engineer Harsh Gehlot allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 on Wednesday, October 28. Gehlot, posted in Zone 13, had allegedly demanded ₹6,000 from a water tanker operator in exchange for verifying a logbook required to clear pending bills worth ₹1,12,500. The payments had been pending for three months.
Acting on a complaint filed by the tanker operator, Lokayukta officials laid a trap and caught Gehlot allegedly accepting the bribe near the Hanuman temple at Chanakyapuri Square in Indore.
The complainant, Sohail Patel, a resident of Nayata Mundla, had hired out his water tanker to the municipal corporation for water supply services.
According to the complaint, Patel had not received payments totalling ₹1,12,500 for the past three months. Verification of the tanker's logbook was necessary to process and clear the outstanding bills.
However, Gehlot allegedly demanded ₹6,000 to complete the verification and facilitate payment. Patel approached Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Rajesh Sahay and lodged a formal complaint against the sub-engineer.
Following verification, a trap operation was organised under the guidance of Lokayukta Director General Yogesh Deshmukh and Deputy Inspector General Manoj Singh. The team caught Gehlot allegedly accepting ₹5,000 from Patel near Chanakyapuri Square.
Case Registered Under Prevention Of Corruption Act
A case was registered against Gehlot under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as amended in 2018, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The operation was conducted by Inspector Ashutosh Mithas and other Lokayukta personnel. Officials urged citizens to report bribery demands to the Lokayukta office at Moti Bangla, MG Road, Indore. Further investigation is underway.
