Uttarakhand Vigilance arrests cop for accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe

Dehradun, May 15 (PTI) The Vigilance Establishment in Uttarakhand has arrested the incharge of the ISBT police outpost here for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh, as part of the ongoing drive against corruption, officials said on Thursday.
    Sub-Inspector Devesh Khugshal was caught while accepting the bribe during a trap laid by vigilance officials on Wednesday.
    The action was taken following a complaint that Khugshal, while investigating a land dispute, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh and threatened to invoke the Gangsters Act against a person if the demand was not met.
    A case has been registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act. After his arrest, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh Bisht suspended Khugshal with immediate effect.
    In a separate case, Virendra Singh Kaintura, a nazir (record keeper) in the Dhanolti tehsil of Tehri district, was also arrested two days ago while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.
    On the same day, the state government suspended Superintending Engineer of the Irrigation Department, R K Tiwari, after the Central Bureau of Investigation found him guilty of corruption in the auction of the Pantdweep parking lot in Haridwar.
    Over the last three years, more than 150 people have been sent to jail in connection with corruption cases in Uttarakhand, officials said.
    Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reiterated his government’s commitment to rooting out corruption from the state.
    "Strict action will be taken against any officer or employee who exploits the public. Providing justice to the people is our top priority," Dhami said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)