Officer in Gujarat demanded bribe in EMI?
Officer in gujarat demanded bribe in EMI?
Worrying news has come out from Gujarat. The matter of concern is that the officers have started demanding bribes from people in installments in lieu of talking about cooperation for any work. This new method of corruption has been in trend since the beginning of the year 2024. gujarat acb has exposed many such cases. The shocking thing is that the corrupt officers of the gujarat government are now giving people the option of giving bribes in EMI like a bank loan.
According to the TOI report, bribes have emerged in gujarat as a 'new method of corruption' to reduce the financial burden on the persons forced to give bribes. Not one but many such cases have come to light. According to the report, in march 2024, a huge bribe of Rs 21 lakh was demanded from a person caught in the SGST fake billing scam. The amount was divided into nine EMIs of Rs 2 lakh to reduce the financial stress. Also, a payment of Rs 1 lakh was made.
Officials did not spare panchayat members either
On april 4, a deputy sarpanch and taluka panchayat member in surat demanded a bribe of Rs 85,000 for a farming-related favor. Sensing the farmer's financial compulsion, the accused proposed to pay the bribe money as an EMI and fixed three equal installments for the remaining amount after a lump sum payment of Rs 35,000.
Policeman absconding after taking four lakhs
Similarly, a policeman absconded after taking a bribe of Rs 4 lakh from a resident of Sabarkantha. This amount was the first installment of the total amount of Rs 10 lakh demanded.
10 cases reported so far in 2024
According to the gujarat acb report, there has been a rapid increase in such incidents. Ten such cases have been registered in the year 2024. According to a senior acb official, corrupt officials exploit individuals facing legal investigation or seeking government assistance. Officers directly ask for bribes from such people.