One arrested in anti-graft move

Tamulpur OC under scanner

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, July 4: In two separate cases of seeking illegal gratification, the vigilance and anti-corruption wing has initiated steps against an employee of the Income Tax office under North Lakhimpur Police Station and also the Officer In-Charge of Tamulpur Police Station.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption wing along with Lakhimpur Police today caught red-handed Janmoni Bhuyan Sharma alias Rupali Das while she was taking a bribe of Rs 5,000 as advance money from the complainant Tanmoy Dutta.

The arrested person is an employee of the Income Tax office under North Lakhimpur Police Station. The accused by misusing her official position had demanded the bribe to get a work done regarding an exemption certificate needed for the complainant’s friend Tomnya Geyi. She had allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 for the work.

The investigating team has brought her to Guwahati to be produced before the Special Court.

In another case, based on an FIR lodged by a woman alleging that the OC of Tamulpur Police Station, Upendra Nath Sarma, had demanded Rs 5 lakh as illegal gratification for releasing a DI pick-up vehicle, a team of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption led by a DSP rank officer, laid a trap on the Police Station premises. The local police had seized the vehicle belonging to the husband of the complainant, Pankaj Kalita who had been earlier arrested in a murder case in the first week of March.

As directed by the OC over phone, the complainant and her mother in-law today proceeded to the police station with the money. The accused officer deputed one home guard, Hafiz Ali, to collect the money. However after counting the money, the home guard personnel grew suspicious and returned the money to the complainant.

On being alerted the vigilance team entered the PS compound. But by then the home guard had fled the scene. Investigation is on.