Lucknow: The anti-corruption organisation (ACO) of UP Police on Tuesday nabbed a lekhpal while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 in Ambedkarnagar district.
Police said the accused Rupesh Yadav had sought the bribe from Surendra Kumar Yadav and Sanjay Kumar Nishad of Songaon for preparing a report allowing them to start construction on a piece of land brought by them in Akbarpur area recently.
A senior officer privy to the probe said Surendra and Sanjay had purchased the land from a villager Sitai Nishad and wanted to start construction.
But Rupesh Yadav demanded Rs 20,000 saying the land was disputed and he had to pay the police to settle the issue. However, when the duo approached police, they said the land was clear and there was no dispute.
The duo then approached senior officials of the department.
Thereafter, a six-member team, which included ACO personnel of Ayodhya and Basti units was formed, and a raid was conducted.
Team members in two vehicles posing as health department officials then carried out the raid.
A team led by inspector Raisaheb Dwivedi, who came from Ayodhya, nabbed Rupesh Yadav outside Chanwa crossing when he was accepting the money from the complainants’ aide Harendra Kumar.
The accused, who is also tehsil level president of lekhpals’ association, was taken to Akbarpur police station and was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
District president of lekhpals’ association, Abhishek Verma said the accused was implicated in a conspiracy. As per the rules, action should also be taken against the person giving the bribe.
