Rajeev Ranjan Kumar, Mango police station officer-in-charge, has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for taking bribe. A team from ACB arrested him on Thursday afternoon when he was taking bribe money. He has been arrested red handed for taking a bribe of 25 thousand rupees.
The action was taken after INTUC national secretary Baldev Singh had complained to ABC. He said that his bike had collided in the past. In this regard, the other party had complained to the police station. After the complaint, he had taken bail from the court. Despite the bail, the station in-charge Rajiv Ranjan Kumar was demanding 50 thousand. In the end, 25 thousand rupees was finalised.
Singh had made the OC agree upon coming down from the demand of Rs 50,000 to Rs 25,000, but at the same time, he informed the Sonari-based ACB office about the bribe deal.
The ACB officials got the complaint verified and finally decided to lay a trap on the OC. According to sources in the ACB office, a bundle of Rs 25,000, all currency notes of Rs 500 denomination, was smeared with phenolphthalein powder, a chemical powder used for the detection of bribery. As soon as the complainant handed the bundle over to the OC at his chamber, the ACB team which was around entered the chamber and overpowered the police officer.
According to the sources, the team led by deputy superintendent of police (ACB) Bijay Kumar Mahto seized the bundle of notes and made the OC dip his fingers into a glass jar. As soon as the water in the jar turned red, the ACB team took the OC into custody.
DSP (ACB), Bijay Kumar Mahto confirmed that after the complaint they formed a seven-member team to carry out an operation at the Mango police station against the OC.
“We have arrested the OC, Mango thana, Rajiv Ranjan Kumar for taking a bribe. We are forwarding him to the Ghaghidih Central Jail, ” said Mahto.
It may be mentioned here that over the past few years, several police officials have been caught by the ACB beside officials of other government departments on charges of receiving bribes earlier. But this is for the first time in the steel city that an officer in-charge was arrested by the ACB.
