Kolkata, 07 August (H.S.) : The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the West Bengal Police on Thursday arrested a Sub-Assistant Engineer posted at the Jamboni Block Development Office (BDO) in Jhargram district after allegedly catching him red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹2 lakh.

The accused, identified as Bimal Saha, is alleged to have demanded the bribe from a sub-contractor for clearing pending bills related to the construction of a sub-health centre in the Jamboni block.

According to the ACB, the sub-contractor approached the agency after the official allegedly demanded ₹2 lakh to process the payment. Following a preliminary verification of the complaint, the Anti-Corruption Branch laid a trap.

As part of the operation, the complainant met the accused with the bribe amount at the pre-arranged location. Soon after Saha accepted the cash, the ACB team, which had been monitoring the operation, moved in and apprehended him on the spot. The tainted money was recovered from his possession.

The accused has been taken into custody and is being interrogated. Investigators are also examining whether any other officials or employees were involved in the alleged bribery. He is expected to be produced before a competent court, where the ACB will seek police custody for further investigation.

The arrest is part of the West Bengal Police's ongoing crackdown on corruption. Since the appointment of Muraleedhar Sharma to head the Anti-Corruption Branch, the agency has intensified trap operations against public servants accused of demanding or accepting bribes. Several government officials have been arrested in similar operations in recent months.

The ACB has reiterated that corruption in the implementation of government schemes and development projects will not be tolerated and that strict action will continue against public officials found involved in bribery.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh