In an important move, the sleuths of the lokayukta police here on Monday morning caught Indore district education officer red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a complainant. A case under the Prevention of the Corruption Act has been registered against the accused.
lokayukta DSP BS Parihar informed that the accused identified as Kishore Shinde had demanded a sum of Rs 50,000 from proprietor of a private school to settle a complaint against his school lodged in a public hearing at the collectorate sometime back.
According to report, sometime back, family members of a student of Vaishnav Bal Mandir Public School located at Jagjivanram Nagar, had lodged a complaint against school management in connection with a beating case. After receiving complaint, the district administration had entrusted district education minister Kishore Shinde to probe into the matter.
Shinde during the course of inquiry, according to the lokayukta DSP had demanded a bribe from proprietor of school Mohan Vaishnav to settle the matter.
Vaishnav had already given a cash of Rs 30,000 to the accused to settle complaint against his school. However, the district education officer was demanding Rs 20,000 more from him.
Subsequently, Vaishnav lodged a complaint against the DEO with the lokayukta police apprising him of the bribe being demanded by the latter. On Monday morning, the accused had asked the complainant to come to his residence with the remaining bribe amount.
The lokayukta police after being informed about the matter, deputed its jawans near Shinde’s residence, in plain clothes. As soon as Vaishnav handed over the amount to Shinde, the lokayukta police jawans who were watching the incident from very close quarter, overpowered him and seized money from his possession. Shinde was taken aback by the incident and started reciting God’s name.