Dairy officer held while taking Rs30k as bribe

Bettiah: A field officer of the district dairy development department was arrested by the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) on Friday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 in West Champaran district.The accused, Anurag Abhishek, was posted at the department’s office in Banu Chapar, Hajma Tola under Bettiah. He was caught by a vigilance team from Patna following a complaint lodged by a local cattle rearer.The complainant, Bablu Kumar, a resident of Gaunaha block, said the officer had demanded money to process benefits under a govt dairy development scheme for the year 2025-26. The subsidy of Rs 3.90 lakh had been approved, of which about Rs 1.95 lakh was released as the first instalment.

Kumar alleged that after approval of his application, the officer initially took Rs 32,000 from him in the name of “office expenses”. Later, he allegedly demanded another Rs 30,000 for completing formalities related to insurance and documentation. Following the demand, he lodged a written complaint with the VIB.Vigilance DSP Mithilesh Kumar said the officer was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant out of the sanctioned subsidy amount. The accused has been taken into custody and is being brought to Patna for further legal proceedings, he added.The VIB said this is the 31st trap case registered in Bihar in 2026 as part of its anti-corruption drive. So far this year, 20 accused persons have been arrested and a total bribe amount of Rs 8.45 lakh has been recovered in such operations.