Three forest officials arrested for Rs 78,000 bribe

Three forest officials in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for accepting bribes. The officials include a forest ranger and two assistant foresters. They allegedly took a total of Rs 1.98 lakh from a contractor. On Sunday, the ACB caught forest ranger Rajendra Choudhary and assistant forester Rajendra Meena after they accepted Rs 78,000 in cash and a cheque for Rs 1.2 lakh. This was in exchange for approving pending payments for work done by the contractor’s firm. The contractor had filed a complaint with the ACB, stating that he was owed Rs 21 lakh for completed projects. He claimed the ranger demanded a bribe of 20% on the total amount, while the other two officials asked for 2%. The investigation revealed that Meena accepted Rs 50,000. He instructed the contractor to bring the rest of the money to the District Forest Office in Chittorgarh, where they were arrested. ACB teams are also searching the homes of the accused officials. The three officials will be presented in court later today. The investigation is ongoing as recovery efforts continue.