Three Food Department staffers held for taking bribe

The Vigilance Department arrested a senior woman officer, an officer and a peon of the Food Safety Department for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 1.10 lakh at the Kullu hospital here today.

According to the information, the woman officer had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a hotelier of Manali for suppressing a case of unsafe food and wrong brand ‘papad’. The complainant was also issued a notice under the Food and Safety and Regulation Act on November 28, 2024.

The hotelier approached the Vigilance Department and further action was taken by the department.

The female officer today directed the hotelier to give this amount to the Food Safety Officer, who further asked him to give this to the peon. As soon as the hotelier gave this amount to the peon, the Vigilance team immediately raided the spot and arrested all three and also recovered an amount of Rs 1.10 lakh. Mandi Vigilance SP Kulbhushan Verma said that further proceedings were underway.