Rs 100 bribe for timber transit pass formalities; Gujarat ACB catches two, including forest guard

Kutch (Gujarat), Aug 25 (IANS) The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday trapped a private individual while allegedly accepting a Rs 100 bribe at the Surajbari Forest Check Post in Bhachau taluka of Kutch district, in a case that also names a forest guard as an accused.

According to the ACB, the operation followed information that officials, employees and alleged associates at the Surajbari Forest Check Post were demanding illegal payments from drivers of vehicles transporting timber from Kutch.

The alleged bribe ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 and was sought for stamping transit passes and making entries in the relevant register.

The ACB said it received the information through confidential representations and subsequently planned a decoy operation with the assistance of a “vigilant citizen”.

During the operation on August 24, accused Jamnasa Osaman Saiyed, a private individual and resident of Budhar Mora in Anjar taluka, allegedly demanded Rs 100 from the decoy in exchange for stamping the transit pass and making the required entry.

The ACB said Saiyed was acting on the instructions of Harshbhai Hemrajbhai Chaudhary, a forest guard posted with the Bhachau Normal Range in Kutch. Saiyed allegedly accepted the Rs 100 bribe and was caught by the ACB team.

The entire amount of Rs 100 was subsequently recovered, according to the agency. The ACB identified the place of the alleged offence as the office at the Surajbari Forest Check Post in Bhachau.

The agency’s account states that the payment was sought specifically for the stamping and registration of the timber vehicle’s transit pass.

The case was handled by H.V. Chaudhary, Police Inspector at the Kutch (East) ACB Police Station in Gandhidham.

The ACB has named both Saiyed and forest guard Harsh Chaudhary as accused in connection with the alleged demand and acceptance of the bribe.

–IANS

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