5 officials arrested for taking bribe

The Rajasthan anti-corruption bureau arrested five officials of a 'mandi' in Kota district this evening for allegedly taking a bribe from a contractor.

The accused had demanded a bribe of nearly Rs 4 lakh from the Jaipur contractor for clearing a Rs 2-crore bill for a road he had constructed in the mandi premises, said Narottam Lal Verma, additional superintendent of police (ASP), Jaipur-Rural.

The contractor had lodged a complaint with the ACB in July, following which, after verification, a trap was laid today. The five were arrested from their office and the renegotiated bribe of Rs 1.40 lakh was also recovered from their possession, Verma said.

The officials have been identified as secretary Rampal Kumawat, executive engineer Pyarelal Meena, assistant engineer Amar Singh, junior engineer Somesh Agrawal and cashier Sazeed Husain, the ASP said.

A search operation is underway at the officials' residences in Kota and Jaipur. They will be produced before a court tomorrow, the officer added.