Delhi ACB Arrests Driver, Books Engineer in Bribery Case Under New Law

The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested a driver for demanding a bribe to clear pending bills of Rs 30 lakh. The incident marks the first case under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023. Raids are ongoing to apprehend the involved junior engineer.

The Delhi government's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has arrested a driver and booked a junior engineer from the Jal Board for allegedly demanding a bribe to clear pending bills amounting to Rs 30 lakh, officials disclosed on Thursday.

Madhur Verma, Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB), stated that the driver, identified as Niranjan, was caught accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant, a water-tanker owner based in Mandawali, east Delhi.

This marks the first case registered by the ACB under the newly enacted Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023. Raids are underway to apprehend the Delhi Jal Board Junior Engineer, Sandeep Shekhar, Verma added.

During initial interrogation, Niranjan confessed that he demanded the bribe at Shekhar's behest to clear the pending Rs 30 lakh owed to the complainant for water tankers hired since 2022, according to Verma.

Verma further disclosed that when the complainant approached Shekhar to request the bill clearance, Shekhar redirected him to meet Niranjan, who then demanded an illegal payment of 10 percent of the total pending bills.

As assurance, Niranjan cleared bills worth Rs 14 lakh and instructed the complainant to pay Rs 1.4 lakh before he would approve the remaining bills, according to the officer.

Aggrieved, the complainant approached the ACB, which set up a trap to catch the accused.

The operation was conducted in compliance with the newly enacted Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, incorporating section 105 (which covers audio-video recording during search and seizure), and the entire process was recorded, Verma stated.

He emphasized that this is the first case filed under the BNSS by the ACB since the law came into force in India.

(With inputs from agencies.)