Taking bribe in for doing some work in government department is not the new story; it is a bitter truth that no file moves in government department unless you put some weight on it. You don’t have to be extra smart to understand the actual meaning of this statement. Perhaps there is more transaction on daily basis in the business of bribery than into the national bank. Apart from sarcasm, there is another case of bribery came up into the light when the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) arrested two RTO officer on Tuesday for taking the bribe under the name of “protection money” whereby the trucks of the transport contractor are not stopped for checks by the RTO.
One can only imagine the seriousness of this offence, if this act of bribery was not brought to the light, it would have surely affected the exchequer of Goa government. According to the news published by the local daily “The Anti-corruption Branch (ACB) of the Directorate of Vigilance on Tuesday arrested two officials from the transport department after they were caught red handed while allegedly accepting bribe of Rs 90,000 from a transport contractor. The bribe was kind of ‘protection money’ so that the trucks of the transport contractor are not stopped for checks by the RTO, claimed sources at the ACB”. The media also revealed the identity of the officials, one of them was an Asst. Director of Transport while the other was Asst. Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI) Vaman Umbrascar, and both of them belonged to the enforcement wing, North Goa, Panaji. Both of them have been booked under the prevention of corruption Act.
The process of trapping the culprits started with the complaint which was lodged by one of the partners of the transport firm Rajiv Rajan Singh to the ACB office, accordingly the ACB laid the trap and managed to nab the two accused red handed while accepting the bribe amount of Rs. 90000/- from the complainant. The incident of accepting the bribe took place outside the building in Patto area in Panaji at around 3.30pm. The officials were using the vehicle of the transport department when the raid was conducted, However, ACB has ruled out involvement of the driver, who was accompanying the accused at the time of incident.
As per the available information the complainant has around 30 trucks playing on the interstate routes and the accused has demanded Rs. 5000/- per month from them towards the each truck. “It was kind of protection money so that vehicles of the transporter are not stopped for checks by the officers of the transport department in the state,” claimed sources at the ACB. Although later on they had negotiated the amount to Rs. 3000/- per truck per month amounting to total Rs. 90000/- in lumpsum. The sources also informed that the ACB is investigating the case against Deputy Superintendent of Police Traffic South Goa Gurudas Mhapne and Police Inspector Traffic Curchorem Edwin Colaco for allegedly demanding bribe from the same transport firm. The preliminary inquiry has been already initiated by the ACB against both officials.
Source: Various Sources
Image Source: Navhind Times
