Jr engineer held for taking Rs 20k bribe; VDO under scanner

Rudrapur: A junior engineer posted in Udham Singh Nagar district was arrested by Uttarakhand Vigilance Establishment on Monday evening for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a contractor.

A village development officer (VDO) has also come under the scanner for allegedly demanding Rs 12,000 in the same case.The action followed a complaint by a contractor from Jaspur on the vigilance department's toll-free helpline, alleging that junior engineer Vivek Kumar and VDO Deepak Sagar demanded money to clear payment for the installation of water coolers under a govt project.After verifying the complaint and finding prima facie evidence, the Vigilance Sector, Haldwani, laid a trap on the directions of SP Prahlad Narayan Meena.

The team caught Kumar red-handed while he was allegedly receiving the bribe in Kunda area of Kashipur .Officials said further legal action would be initiated against Sagar in accordance with the law. A detailed probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act is underway.Vigilance director V Murugeshan said members of the trap team would be given a cash reward for their "commendable work". He also appealed to people to report corruption through the vigilance establishment's toll-free number or WhatsApp helpline.