The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday laid a trap outside the Special Operations Group (SOG) office in Anand and arrested a middleman who was allegedly accepting a Rs 2 lakh bribe linked to a serving police sub-inspector, IANS reported. The accused, Dilipbhai alias Dipubhai Patel, was allegedly accepting the money on behalf of a demand made in connection with an investigation being conducted by the SOG in Anand.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

According to the ACB, Patel and a second accused, V. N. Rathod, a Police Sub-Inspector with the SOG, had allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from the complainant to unfreeze a bank account that had been frozen during an investigation into a case registered at Anand Town police station. The money was also allegedly demanded to ensure that the complainant was not arrested in connection with the case. Rathod was not present at the spot when the trap was executed, the ACB said; TV9 Gujarati reported that the sub-inspector is on the run.

Source: TV9 Gujarati

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant, described by the ACB as a vigilant citizen, approached the agency and lodged a complaint. The ACB then arranged the trap on October 29 outside the SOG office in Anand, near its entrance. Officials said the bribe transaction took place inside a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz car in Patel's possession, and that Patel was caught accepting the entire demanded amount of Rs 2 lakh, which was recovered in full.

During a search of the vehicle in the presence of panch witnesses, the ACB team found a further Rs 49 lakh in cash. The agency classified the amount as suspicious, and said further investigation into its source and circumstances was underway. The operation was conducted by a team led by D. N. Patel, Police Inspector with the ACB's Field-1 unit in Ahmedabad, officials added. The allegations against both men are yet to be tested in court.