Cop, middleman held for bribery

BARMER: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a police constable and a middleman for taking a bribe of ₹10,000 in Barmer on Monday.

While the middleman, Ismile Khan, was arrested red-handed with the money, the constable, Ugamdan Charan, was arrested on the basis of the middleman’s statement that he had accepted the bribe on behalf of the constable, said Ramniwas Sunda, an ACB official.

The ACB official said that a hotel owner, Bhagaram, had lodged a complaint against the constable alleging that on June 11 he and his brother Narsingh Ram were working at the hotel when Charan arrived and picked up some liquor pouches and bottles from the hotel. Charan allegedly arrested Bhagaram’s brother on charges of selling illicit liquor.

Later, when Bhagaram reached police station to free his brother, Charan allegedly asked him to meet Khan, the middleman.

According to the complainant, Khan asked him to pay ₹20,000 for the release of his brother. When Bhagaram agreed to pay ₹10,000, the constable allowed his brother to go with him, the complainant stated. After verification of the complaint, the ACB officials laid a trap and Bhagaram called Khan to pay the bribe at a place on June 14.

On Monday, when Bhagaram was handing over ₹10,000 to Khan, ACB officials reached the place and caught him redhanded.

Later, on the basis of Khan’s statement, Charan was also arrested, Sunda said.