SDO OFFICE EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR TAKING BRIBE OF Rs. 1.25 LAKH

SDO OFFICE EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR TAKING BRIBE OF Rs. 1.25 LAKH

17-SEP-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

SASARAM---------------------------The depth of corruption in Bihar was evident on Tuesday at the Bikramganj subdivision office in Rohtas, where a peon turned out to be a millionaire. When a team from the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) from Patna caught SDO peon Vinod Kumar Thakur red-handed accepting a hefty bribe of ₹116,000 (approximately $1.6 million), the entire office was shaken. Everyone, from the senior clerk to the officer, was left speechless.

This sensational case involves Rakesh Kumar Thakur, a resident of Dhangain village in Bikramganj, who was running from office to office seeking justice in a land dispute. It is alleged that SDO peon Vinod Kumar Thakur, taking advantage of Thakur's helplessness, demanded a bribe of ₹160,000 (approximately $1.6 million) in exchange for resolving the matter. The victim complained to the Vigilance Department.

The team, led by Vigilance DSP Narendra Kumar, first verified the allegations and then laid a trap that caught the bribe-taking peon red-handed. As soon as Rakesh Kumar handed the bribe money to Vinod Thakur, the team, already waiting in ambush, caught him. The peon, holding the bundle of notes, was stunned. After questioning, the team took him to Patna, where he will be presented in the special Vigilance court.

This incident is significant because it is not the first action against corruption in Rohtas district. It is the seventh major attack by Vigilance and the CBI in the last two to three months. These continuous actions have shaken the nexus of corrupt officials and employees in the district. But the question remains: when small employees are raking in millions, how is this possible without the protection of senior officials?