Chhattisgarh: Senior official, forester held for bribery in Gariaband, Bilaspur

Two government officials were arrested on Friday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding and accepting bribes in two districts of Chhattisgarh, a senior official said.

A deputy collector-rank official posted in Gariaband district was held for seeking Rs 20,000 for releasing Rs 6 lakh sanctioned by the state government for tubewell digging work in village panchayats, said Arif Sheikh, Director of state's ACB and Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

In the second case, a staffer of the forest department's flying squad in Bilaspur district was held on the basis of an audio clip in which he is heard asking for the second instalment of a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a furniture shop owner for renewal of the shop's licence, Sheikh said.

''The furniture businessman had given him Rs 33,800 and then recorded his conversation when the accused sought the remaining amount and submitted it to the ACB. Both were held in traps and have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act,'' he said.