Guwahati:
The director of vigilance and anti-corruption department caught Assam civil service officer Lachit Kumar Das, assistant director at the land records and survey office while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 45,000 in Guwahati.
The team raided the house of Das and recovered Rs 1.18 crore. The total later rose to 1.66 crore. Documents linked to the acquired land properties were also recovered during the raid.
According to vigilance officials, the accused officer allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from an individual in connection with the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) for an inter-religious land transfer case.
After negotiations, the amount was allegedly settled at Rs 50,000.
After refusing to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the directorate, which verified the allegations and laid a trap at the Directorate of Land Records office in Rupnagar, Guwahati.
Das was caught inside his office chamber immediately after accepting part of the demanded sum. The tainted money was recovered from him and seized in the presence of independent witnesses.
During the overnight operation, vigilance officials recovered and seized Rs 48.38 lakh in cash from a locker inside the house. The search found fixed deposit certificates amounting to Rs 80 lakh in the names of Das and his family members.
The vigilance team carried out a nearly 12-hour-long search operation at his house. A case has been filed against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
