Ahmedabad: A deputy mamlatdar posted at the Gandhinagar collector’s office was arrested on Friday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau over an alleged bribe demand of Rs 9.5 lakh, officials said. The accused, Bipinchandra Parmar, a Class III employee serving in the land allotment branch, was allegedly caught accepting Rs 4.5 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe. Dinesh Valand, a retired peon, was also arrested in connection with the case.According to ACB officials, the case was registered following a complaint by a citizen who had applied for a property card for an individual’s house at the collectorate’s land allotment office. Investigators said Parmar allegedly sought money in exchange for a favourable opinion on the file and for not raising objections to the deficiencies in the documents.Acting on Parmar’s instructions, Valand allegedly demanded Rs 9.5 lakh from the complainant, including an initial payment of Rs 4.5 lakh. After the complainant approached the ACB, officials laid a trap on Friday.During the operation, the accused allegedly held discussions with the complainant and accepted Rs 4.5 lakh. The trap was laid near the Gandhinagar court parking area, where the money was handed over to the complainant inside the latter’s vehicle parked by the roadside. ACB officials said the entire amount was recovered, and both employees were detained on the spot.
