Jaipur, Sep 30 (IANS) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested three persons, including a Railway Senior Section Engineer and two Jaipur Discom officials, in a trap operation conducted in Bandikui, Dausa district, for allegedly accepting a bribe linked to the issuance of a Meter Changing Order (MCO) required for net metering of a solar power plant at Bandikui Railway Station.
The accused have been identified as Dharmraj Gurjar, Senior Section Engineer (Electrical), Bandikui Railway Junction, North Western Railway (NWR); Chhotelal Saini, Assistant Engineer, Office of the Assistant Engineer, Jaipur Discom, Bandikui; and Dharmendra Saini, Lineman Grade-I, Office of the Assistant Engineer, Jaipur Discom, Bandikui.
According to ACB officials, the Dausa outpost received a complaint alleging that the complainant’s firm had submitted a net metering file. The complainant alleged that Chhotelal Saini and Dharmendra Saini demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 to issue the MCO and process the file.
Following a preliminary inquiry and verification of the alleged demand, the ACB initiated a trap operation on directions from ACB Headquarters in Jaipur.
The operation was conducted under the supervision of ACB Deputy Inspector General of Police Rameshwar Singh and led by Gyan Singh Chaudhary of the ACB Outpost, Dausa.
During the trap, Dharmendra Saini and Chhotelal Saini allegedly directed the complainant to visit the office of Dharmraj Gurjar, Senior Section Engineer (Electrical), Bandikui Railway Junction.
According to the ACB, the three accused acted in collusion during the transaction. Dharmraj Gurjar allegedly accepted Rs 10,000 from the complainant and counted the currency notes himself.
Investigators said Gurjar then placed Rs 5,000 in a khaki envelope and handed it to Dharmendra Saini and Chhotelal Saini, who allegedly kept the envelope inside the original file they brought.
The ACB recovered the Rs 5,000 allegedly concealed in the file and arrested all three accused at the spot.
Officials said Dharmraj Gurjar returned the remaining Rs 5,000 to the complainant during the transaction. The ACB subsequently seized the amount as evidence.
The bureau said interrogation of the accused and further legal proceedings are underway under the supervision of ACB Additional Director General of Police Smita Srivastava and Inspector General of Police S. Parimala.
The ACB will register a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and continue the investigation in accordance with law.
The agency also said that if any formal complaint, preliminary inquiry, or case is registered against an individual, the concerned person may approach the ACB directly to present their side or submit an explanation.
According to the bureau, it takes decisions on further investigation only after detailed consideration of any explanation submitted, as part of its standard operating procedure.
The ACB said this procedure also protects members of the public from fraud or exploitation by people falsely claiming to act on behalf of the anti-corruption agency.
Appealing for public cooperation in the fight against corruption, the ACB urged citizens to report corruption-related matters through its 24×7 toll-free helpline, 1064, or WhatsApp helpline, 94135-02834. The bureau said it would help facilitate legitimate government work while taking action against corrupt practices.
–IANS
arc/dan