Dy registrar arrested for taking Rs 21 lakh bribe

A deputy registrar was arrested here for allegedly demanding Rs 21 lakh as bribe from a complainant for not taking action against him in connection with an inquiry, ACB said today.
The complainant, who is an office-bearer at two cooperative firms, had received an investigation form from Central Co-operatives Commissioner, New Delhi, regarding the working of the companies.
He had submitted the forms to Deputy Registrar Mahendra Magar (44) for further processing after filling all the required details.
However, Magar, with an idea of making some money, claimed that the information furnished in the form had many loopholes. Later, he also visited the complainant's institution, where he again pointed out many faults in the official formalities, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said.

Magar then allegedly demanded a bribe of 90 lakh from the complainant for not taking action against his firms in March this year.
He later reduced the demand to Rs 51 lakh, but the complainant expressed his inability to fulfil it. Finally, the deal was fixed at Rs 21 lakh.

Subsequently, the complainant approached the ACB and lodged an FIR against Magar on May 4.
However, Magar started avoiding the complainant suspecting that he had approached the police. The ACB earlier laid several traps, but failed to catch him.
Finally, the ACB yesterday caught him red-handed while he was allegedly taking the bribe and arrested him from his office at Sakkardara in South city area, the ACB release said.

The Sakkardara police have registered an offence against Magar in this connection, the ACB added.