A vigilance team arrested a drug inspector Deepak Kumar Truwa on Friday on charge of accepting a bribe of Rs 22,000 from the complainant Ravindra Kumar Sharma in return of his assured initiative to provide medical store license. Informing, Ashok Kumar, ADGP vigilance, said that such drives would continue.
Sharma, resident of Kichha (US Nagar), had lodged a written complaint at Vigilance Haldwani sector. In which he alleged that he had been operating a life line Medical Store near New ITI Swami Ram Cancer Hospital, Haldwani.
To operate the medical store, he had applied for new license and had submitted relevant documents and challan of Rs 3,000 at the office of drug inspector, Deepak Kumar Truwa on April 21, 2016. Deepak had sought Rs 30,000 as bribe to issue new medical store license, he had alleged in the complaint.
The complainant said he had made rounds of the office repeatedly and brought the matter up with the officials concerned for the issuing the license. But each time he had met them they had told him to shell out the amount as demanded, he said in the complaint.
He further noted that following several rounds of talks, the amount and the place where it was to be given had been fixed. Finally, he had agreed on Rs 22,000 to be given as bribe for issuing license for the same, he stated, adding that Deepak had called him at his office on April 27.
Acting on the complaint, vigilance inspector Kewlanand Arya probed and found it correct. As the accused was a gazetted officer, the police officers had sought permission from the State Government before they laid the trap to catch him.
A team led by Arya was formed. Two independent witnesses were also included in it. The members drafted a plan to trap the accused on April 26. Inspector Arya reached the accused’s office but the accused was found to be out of station. Complainant again approached Deepak for seeking new license for operating the medical store. Deepak again called the complainant at his office on May 6.
Deepak was caught red- handed while taking Rs 22, 000 at 12.55 pm as bribe from the complainant at CMO office, Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar, on Friday in the presence of two independent witnesses.
A case under appropriate sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered against the accused in Haldwani sector vigilance. Ashok Kumar, director (vigilance), has announced reward for the team members for cracking the case.