Rs 48 lakh cash, Rs 80 lakh FDs seized from Assam ACS officer arrested in bribery case
The Assam vigilance agency arrested ACS officer Lachit Kumar Das in an alleged bribe trap linked to a land sale NOC. A follow-up search at his Guwahati home led to the seizure of cash, fixed deposits and property documents now under scrutiny.
- May 22, 2026,
- Updated May 22, 2026, 12:41 PM IST
- The complainant approached vigilance officers after refusing the alleged bribe demand
- Vigilance laid a trap at the Rupnagar office on May 21
- Officials said tainted notes were recovered from his chamber before witnesses
An overnight search at the residence of arrested Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer Lachit Kumar Das led to the seizure of Rs 48.38 lakh in cash, fixed deposit certificates worth Rs 80 lakh and several financial and property-related documents, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC), Assam said on May 22.
Das, Additional Director of Land Records, Rupnagar, Guwahati, was arrested on May 21 after allegedly being caught accepting Rs 45,000 as part of a purported Rs 1 lakh bribe demand linked to issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for land sale permission.
According to the V&AC, the complainant had approached the anti-corruption agency after refusing to pay the alleged bribe amount.
A trap operation was subsequently conducted by the vigilance team at the Directorate of Land Records office in Rupnagar, where Das was allegedly caught red-handed inside his office chamber immediately after accepting the money.
Officials said the tainted cash was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of independent witnesses.
Following his arrest, a search was carried out at Das’ residence in Rani Bagan, Beltola Tiniali, Guwahati, till around 1.30 am on May 22.
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During the operation, vigilance officials reportedly recovered and seized Rs 48.38 lakh in cash from a locker inside the house.
The search team also found fixed deposit certificates amounting to Rs 80 lakh in the names of Das and his family members.
Besides cash and FDs, officials said several general life insurance and postal life insurance policies, multiple bank accounts and documents related to landed properties were recovered during the search.
Authorities added that scrutiny and analysis of the seized financial records and property documents are currently underway.
A case has been registered at the Anti-Corruption Branch Police Station under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
