GUWAHATI: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in Assam apprehended Bidyut Kumar Talukdar, the District Agricultural Officer in Darrang, Mangaldoi on September 12.
The arrest follows a complaint alleging that Talukdar demanded a bribe of ₹6,000 from a complainant, promising to nominate the complainant and a friend for a training programme on the "Use of Fertilizer" at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Mangaldoi.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that the public servant later reduced the bribe amount to ₹5,000. Refusing to succumb to corruption, the complainant sought legal action against the District Agricultural Officer, prompting a swift response from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
On September 12, a well-executed trap was set by the vigilant team from the Directorate in the office of the District Agricultural Officer. At 1:15 PM, Talukdar was caught red-handed in his office, accepting ₹3,000 as part of the initially demanded bribe.
The tainted money was seized from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses. Further, during a search of the public servant's person, an additional sum of ₹28,710 was discovered and confiscated, also in the presence of independent witnesses.
The abundance of evidence against the accused led to his immediate arrest by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption team. A case was formally registered on September 12, at the ACB Police Station. The case has been filed under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
Legal proceedings are now in progress as the authorities take decisive action against the accused public servant. This successful operation marks the 75th arrest in trap cases conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in Assam this year.