Rajasthan: 2 Gram Panchayat officials, village head arrested in separate cases of bribery

Jaipur, Feb 5 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Rajasthan on Thursday arrested two officials and a village head in separate cases of bribery, officials said.

In Chittorgarh, the bureau’s local unit caught Singhpur gram panchayat's Gram Vikas Adhikari, Paras Ram Bishnoi, and junior assistant Babu Lal Sharma while accepting a bribe of Rs 2.10 lakh, including Rs 70,000 in cash and a cheque of Rs 1.40 lakh.

Director General (DG) of ACB, Govind Gupta, said the complainant had conducted development works worth Rs 12.80 lakh under the Singhpur gram panchayat.

The two officials allegedly demanded the bribe for online feeding and payment of seven bills from May to June 2025, he said.

After verification of the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and arrested both officials while accepting the bribe, he added.

The officer said that in the Didwana-Kuchaman district, the anti-graft body arrested Rajendra Prasad Moyla, the village head of Bajwas gram panchayat.

He was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.

Gupta said the complainant had secured a material supply tender in Bajwas gram panchayat for 2024-25, which ended on March 31, 2025.

Despite receiving payment for the supplied material, a security deposit of Rs 2 lakh remained with the panchayat.

The complainant alleged that he approached the village head several times to clear his dues, but the amount was not returned, the DG said.

After the complaint was lodged, verification was conducted, following which the ACB arrested the accused while accepting the bribe.

The accused were arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he added. PTI SDA OZ OZ