Assam: Vigilance sleuths arrest Lat Mandal for allegedly demanding bribe

Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on June 9 arrested a Lat Mandal for allegedly accepting a demanding bribe of Rs 20,000 in the state's Raha town.

The Lat Mandal was identified as Dilip Roy who demanded a bribe from the complainant for issuing land holding No. and trace a map from a person.

''A complaint was received at this Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Assam, alleging that Dilip Roy, Lat Mandal of Office of the Circle Officer, Raha Revenue Circle, District - Nagaon demanded Rs. 20,000/- (twenty thousand only) as bribe from the complainant for issuing land holding No. and trace the map to the complainant. Later, the Lot Mandal had reduced the amount of bribe to Rs. 15,000/- (fifteen thousand only),'' an official statement read.
        
The statement further said that as the complainant was unwilling to pay the bribe, he approached this Directorate for taking necessary legal action against the public servant.
        
''Accordingly, a trap was laid today, on 09/06/2023 by a team from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam, in the Office of the Circle Officer, Raha Revenue Circle, District - Nagaon. Dilip Roy accepted Rs. 5,000/- (five thousand only) as part of demanded bribe from the complainant in the office premises and immediately handed over the said amount to a middleman namely Rahmat Ali.  Both the Lat Mandal Dilip Roy and Rahmat Ali were caught red-handed at 2:45 PM,'' it added. 

It further said that the tainted bribe money of Rs. 5,000/- (five thousand only), which had been handed over by the Lat Mandal, has been recovered from the middleman Rahmat Ali’s possession and accordingly seized in the presence of independent witnesses. 
           
''Finding sufficient evidence against the accused public servant and the middle man, they have been arrested by the team of vigilance. In this connection, a case has been registered in ACB Police Station on 09/06/2023 vide ACB P.S. Case No. 41/2023 under Section 120(B) IPC, R/W Section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018),'' the statement said.

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