Raipur
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested two government clerks in separate trap operations in Raigarh and Korba districts while allegedly accepting bribes from complainants in exchange for official work.
In the first case, the ACB arrested Tularam Patel, a clerk posted at the Tehsil Office in Chhal area of Raigarh district, while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹60,000 as the first instalment of a demanded amount of ₹1 lakh.
According to the ACB, the complainant, Bhanu Pratap Patel of Dhaska Muda village, had approached the bureau alleging that the accused demanded money for correcting a land record entry in the name of a woman, Kanchan Bai. The complainant stated that after purchasing the land, an error had surfaced in the revenue records and an application for rectification had been submitted in the tehsil office. The accused allegedly demanded the bribe to process and approve the correction.
Following verification of the complaint, the ACB laid a trap on May 29 and caught the accused red-handed while accepting the cash. Officials said the accused’s original post is that of an assistant teacher, though he was attached to the tehsil office as a clerk.
In another operation in Korba district, the ACB arrested Pradeep Mishra, a clerk at the office of the Block Education Officer, Podi-Uproda, while allegedly taking a bribe of ₹40,000.
The complainant, Amrit Lal Baghel, currently posted as headmaster at a primary school in Kartala block, alleged that the accused demanded the amount for making entries related to General Provident Fund (GPF) deductions in his passbook before his retirement scheduled in May 2026.
After verification, the ACB team conducted a trap operation and apprehended the accused while accepting the bribe amount.
Both accused were arrested under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and further investigation is underway.
