Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): The Ujjain Lokayukta on Thursday arrested the Tribal Welfare Department's district coordinator in Neemuch and the superintendent of the Excellent Boys Hostel while they were allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.
According to Lokayukta SP Anand Kumar Yadav, complainant Kurdula Ekka, superintendent of the Junior Girls' Hostel in Kukdeshwar, approached the Ujjain Lokayukta alleging that authorities had suspended her and initiated a departmental inquiry over alleged irregularities at the hostel. She also claimed that her salary had remained pending for a long period.
According to the complaint, Tribal Welfare Department district coordinator Rakesh Rathore and Excellent Boys Hostel superintendent Harish Chauhan initially demanded Rs 2 lakh in exchange for cooperating in the departmental inquiry and facilitating the release of her withheld salary.
They later reduced the demand to Rs 1.25 lakh, with the first instalment of Rs 1 lakh scheduled to be paid on Thursday.
After verifying the complaint, the Lokayukta team laid a trap and caught both accused red-handed while they were allegedly accepting the bribe. The team recovered Rs 1 lakh from Chauhan's possession.
SP Yadav said Rathore had been transferred from Neemuch but had not yet been relieved from his post when the Lokayukta team apprehended him.
The Lokayukta registered a case against both accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018), and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further legal proceedings are underway.
