The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Ahmedabad): Corrupt government officials and middlemen in Gujarat have adopted the practice of demanding bribes in “instalments,” with at least ten such cases reported so far this year. The state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) highlighted this issue on Thursday, noting that this method continues to plague the system.
According to ACB Director Shamsher Singh, the modus operandi involves victims agreeing to pay the first instalment before the work is carried out, with subsequent payments expected upon completion of the task. “There is nothing new in it. Usually, the victim first agrees to give the first instalment before the work is done and then gives the second after the work is done. But sometimes, they change their mind and approach the ACB instead of giving the second or any subsequent instalment,” he explained.
In a notable case from March, individuals claiming to represent Gujarat GST officials solicited a bribe of Rs 21 lakh from a mobile shop owner in Ahmedabad. The shop owner, coerced into paying Rs 2 lakh as the initial instalment, eventually sought help from the ACB, leading to the arrest of one of the culprits during the first payment.
In April, a deputy sarpanch and a taluka panchayat member in Surat were caught red-handed demanding Rs 80,000 from a farmer. They were apprehended on April 4 while accepting the first instalment of Rs 35,000, according to an ACB release.
Similarly, a police sub-inspector from the state CID Crime in Gandhinagar was arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000, with part of the sum taken as an advance. Additionally, a royalty inspector from the state Mines and Minerals department in Narmada district agreed to split a Rs 1 lakh bribe into two instalments for a truck driver. The middleman was arrested while receiving the initial payment of Rs 60,000 on April 26.
The ACB continues its efforts to combat such corrupt practices in Gujarat, urging citizens to report any instances of bribery or extortion.