Ahmedabad, October 4: In a successful operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat caught a Revenue Clerk from the Mehsana Collector’s Office red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹9 lakh on Friday.

The accused, Vishwajit Khengarbhai Kamlekar, a Class-3 Revenue Clerk posted in the Land Branch (Non-Agricultural Table) of the Mehsana Collector’s Office, was trapped near RTO Circle, Subhash Bridge, Ahmedabad.

According to ACB officials, the complainant — an aware citizen — owns agricultural land in Ijpura (Jethaji) village of Jotana taluka. The complainant had applied at Mahesana district collectr office to convert the agricultural land to non-agricultural (N.A.) use. During the process, the accused allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹50 per square foot, which amounted to around ₹12 lakh, for approving the conversion. After negotiations, the bribe amount saught was down to Rs. 25 per sq.f. meaning Rs. 12 lakh and later Rs. 10 lakh and finally settled at ₹9 lakh.

However, unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB and filed a complaint. Based on the information, a trap was arranged under the supervision of ACB officials. During the operation, Kamlekar was caught red-handed accepting the entire ₹9 lakh bribe on a public road near Subhash Bridge.

The trap was executed under the direction of Shri S.N. Barot, Police Inspector, Field-3 (Intelligence Wing), ACB Ahmedabad, with assistance from Shri D.B. Mehta, Police Inspector, Field-3 (Intelligence Wing), ACB Ahmedabad. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Shri S.N. Barot, Ex. Assistant Director, Field-3 (Int. Wing), ACB Ahmedabad.

The ACB has registered an offence against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act and further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat