A rural health inspector was arrested in Assam's Kamrup district on Wednesday while allegedly taking bribe from a person seeking a death certificate of his relative.
Assam police said a trap was laid based on a complaint by the person alleging that Hitesh Deka, rural health inspector, social preventive medicine at Community Health Centre at Rani demanded bribe for issuing the death certificate.
"He was caught red handed by a team of vigilance and anti-corruption branch at 12.45 pm after he had taken the bribe money from the complainant, as demanded earlier, inside the Community Health Centre at Rani. The tainted bribe money was recovered from Deka' possession, in the presence of independent witnesses," said a statement issued by Assam police.
A case has been registered in the anti-corruption branch police station under section 7(a)/13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Deka.
The vigilance and anti-corruption branch had earlier issued a phone number asking people to lodge complaint about corruption including demand for bribe by government officials in the name of delivering service to the people. Several government officials including policemen has been similarly arrested so far in the state. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also appealed people to lodge complaint about corrupt practices. Sarma recently said he also got information that some officials demanded money even for issuing a death certificate.
Special director general of police, GP Singh tweeted about Deka's arrest by the vigilance and anti-corruption branch for allegedly demanding a bribe.
The allegation that Deka demanded money for issuing a death certificate has drawn a lot of condemnation.
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