Rajasthan: Senior official of Mining Dept arrested for taking bribe of Rs 1 lakh

A senior official of the Mining Department was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs one lakh from a contractor after he applied for the release of his security and bank guarantee of Rs 20 lakh, DSP of Anti-Corruption Bureau in Bundi Tarun Kant Somani said.

Based on a complaint lodged by contractor Rajendra Kumar Sharma, sleuths of the ACB laid a trap and caught Panna Lal Meena, who was posted as Superintendent Mining Engineer in the department, red-handed while accepting the bribe, he said.

During the search at his house, the ACB sleuths recovered cash worth Rs 16 lakh and some property papers, the DSP said.

Meena (54) had initially demanded a bribe of Rs two lakh from Sharma for releasing his security and bank guarantee of Rs 20 lakh, Somani said, adding that later the bribe amount was settled at Rs one lakh.

The contractor approached police and a probe into the matter began, he added.