Two officials caught taking Rs 1 lakh bribe in Madhya Pradesh

A village sarpanch and secretary of a panchayat were caught by the Lokayukta Police of Madhya Pradesh for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a man for regularising allotment of plots.

The sarpanch, Santoh Thakur, and the secretary, Rameshwar Yadav, of Umaria Khurd panchayat in Indore district, were caught on a complaint of a pharma company owner, Praveen Singh Baghel, Lokayukta Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told PTI.

The complainant has a farmhouse in Umaria Khurd village and opposite it, he has been allotted four plots each measuring 2,400 sq ft on lease, he said.

The sarpanch and the secretary told him the allotment was "illegal" and demanded a Rs 8 lakh bribe for regularisation of plots, Baghel said.

The complainant approached Lokayukta sleuths and told them about the bribe demand, he said.

A trap was laid and the duo caught while accepting the first instalment of the bribe amount, he said, adding further investigations were on.