GUWAHATI: A senior Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe in Guwahati, following an operation conducted by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam.
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According to an official press release issued on Friday, May 22, Lachit Kumar Das, Additional Director of Land Records at the Directorate of Land Records in Rupnagar, had allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh from a complainant in connection with issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for land sale permission.
The complainant approached the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Directorate after refusing to pay the bribe and sought legal action against the officer.
Acting on the complaint, a trap was laid on May 21 by a vigilance team at the Directorate of Land Records office in Rupnagar. Officials stated that Lachit Kumar Das was allegedly caught red-handed inside his office chamber immediately after accepting ₹45,000 as part of the demanded bribe amount.
The tainted money was recovered from his possession and seized in the presence of independent witnesses, the release stated.
A case has been registered at the Anti-Corruption Branch Police Station under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
Following his apprehension, officials carried out a search operation at the officer’s residence located at Rani Bagan, Beltola Tiniali in Guwahati, which continued till around 1:30 AM on May 22.
During the search, officials recovered and seized cash amounting to ₹48,38,150 from a locker inside the house. In addition, fixed deposit certificates worth ₹80 lakh in the name of the officer and his family members were also found and seized.
The vigilance team also recovered several General Life Insurance and Postal Life Insurance policies, along with multiple bank account details and documents related to landed properties.
Further investigation is underway.