Kaithal excise officer held for taking Rs 1.4 lakh bribe

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ambala, has arrested Dinesh Kumar, an Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer (AETO) posted in Kaithal, for allegedly accepting a Rs 1.4 lakh bribe.

The officer had reportedly demanded the bribe to prevent the attachment of a complainant’s property after he failed to deposit a liquor shop fee with the Excise Department.

The complainant, Richpal, a resident of Slempur Gamri in Ghula, Kaithal district, along with his associate Dharmpal from Kalsa, Kurukshetra, had obtained a liquor shop licence for 2019-2020.

As security for the licence, a 6 kanal 11 marla property had been registered in the name of the Excise Department. However, due to non-payment of Rs 7 crore in fees, the property faced seizure.

When Richpal learned that the Excise Department was preparing to attach his property, he approached Dinesh Kumar, who allegedly demanded a Rs 5 lakh bribe to stop the process.

After negotiations, the bribe amount was settled at Rs 2 lakh, out of which Rs 60,000 had already been paid. The remaining Rs 1.4 lakh was handed over to Dinesh Kumar, who was caught red-handed by the ACB team during the transaction.

A case has been registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 105 of the Bhartiya Nagrik Sanhita.

“The accused was caught while accepting the bribe. Further investigation is underway,” the ACB stated.