In an important development, sleuths of the lokayukta police on Friday caught an employee of the district malaria office red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a complainant.
According to the lokayukta police, the accused identified as RP Golani, a junior malaria officer in the district malaria department had demanded a bribe of Rs 87,000 from a complainant Manorama Dixit to settle her gratuity and GPF. Subsequent to his demand, the Dixit family had paid him a sum of Rs 40,000 to the accused as a first installment, while he was given Rs 30,000 in the second installment.
On Friday, the daughter of the complainant, Megha was supposed to give a sum of Rs 10,000 to the accused. However, before she could give this amount to the accused, she lodged a complaint to this effect with the lokayukta police. On the direction of lokayukta police, the amount which was supposed to be given was smeared with pink colour.
As per the plant, on Friday afternoon, Megha went to the office of the district malaria department located on the third floor of Palika Plaza. As soon as she gave the bribe money to the accused, the sleuths of the lokayukta police who were there in plain clothes, arrested the accused red-handed, recovered money from his possession and registered a case against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The lokayukta police said that the complainant Manorma Dixit had retired from her job from the district malaria department two years back. She was supposed to Rs 14 lakh as her gratuity and GPF. She had approached Golani to get her GPF and gratuity amount as early as possible. However, in lieu of releasing her gratuity and GPF, the accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 87,000. Megha, daughter of the complainant said the accused had come to her residence to collect money earlier and was not allowing them to meet other officer in the department. We had already given him enough money but he was asking for more, thereby prompting us to lodge complaint against him with the lokayukta police, she added.