Ranchi, Mar 20: The Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested a Block Supply Officer in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj district while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹50,000, officials said.
The accused, Niranjan Kumar, posted in Barharwa, was caught red-handed by the Dumka unit of the ACB during a trap operation. He had allegedly demanded money from a Public Distribution System (PDS) dealer in exchange for “ensuring smooth ration supply and facilitating official work.”
Acting on a complaint lodged by the dealer, the ACB team laid a trap and apprehended the officer while he was accepting the first instalment of the bribe.
The arrest is part of an intensified anti-corruption drive in the state, marking the seventh such कार्रवाई in March alone. Officials said investigative agencies have stepped up efforts to curb bribery across departments.
In related actions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 17 arrested a junior engineer of the South Eastern Railway in Bokaro for allegedly accepting ₹15,000 as bribe. Earlier, on March 13, two employees of the District Land Acquisition Office in Deoghar were caught demanding a five per cent commission to release compensation funds, while on March 12, a sub-inspector in Koderma and a panchayat secretary in Gumla were arrested in separate bribery cases.
Officials said further investigations are underway to examine whether the accused possess assets disproportionate to their known sources of income and to identify any larger corruption network.
The ACB has urged citizens not to pay bribes and to report any such demands through its helpline or nearest office.
