APSC topper-turned-forest ranger arrested for taking bribe in Assam's Lakhimpur

A forest ranger in Assam's Lakhimpur who had once topped the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) examination was arrested on May 1 after being caught red-handed accepting a bribe at his official quarters — a fall from grace that has drawn wide attention across the state.

Sibasish Sandilya, an Assam Forest Service officer serving as Forest Ranger of the Lakhimpur Range, had allegedly been demanding Rs 6,000 per vehicle per month from a complainant in exchange for allowing unhindered movement of vehicles transporting forest products.

Sandilya had topped the APSC examination in 2020 for recruitment into the Assam Forest Service — a distinction that made his arrest all the more striking.

Unwilling to pay, the complainant took the matter to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC), Assam, seeking legal action against the officer. A trap was then laid on May 1 by a vigilance team at the Range Office Campus in Lakhimpur.

Sandilya was caught the moment he accepted Rs 12,000 — part of the bribe he had allegedly demanded — from the complainant. The tainted money was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of independent witnesses, according to the official press release.

Following his detention, the anti-corruption cell launched a wider investigation. Officials conducted a raid at Sandilya's residence in Guwahati's Zoo Road area in the Shantipur locality. A separate search was also carried out at his Lakhimpur residence, during which officials recovered Rs 5.68 lakh in cash.

A case has been registered at the ACB Police Station as ACB P.S. Case No. 07/2026, under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018. Sandilya has since been arrested. The Senior Superintendent of Police, Directorate of V&AC, confirmed that "necessary legal follow-up action is underway."