Vadodara: Anti-corruption bureau (ACB) arrested an additional assistant engineer of Halol taluka panchayat for demanding and accepting bribe for clearing bills presented by the complainant.Accused Diptesh Vasava, who works in the construction branch of Halol taluka panchayat, had demanded Rs 30,000 from the complainant for clearing a bill of Rs 1.2 lakh. Sources said that the complainant was the sarpanch of Maswad village in Halol taluka.The sarpanch had completed works of crematorium and hand-pump in Maswad village under the 14th finance commission for which a bill of Rs 3.5 lakh was incurred. Later a borewell and another hand-pump was installed under the same scheme which costed Rs 1.2 lakh. While, Vasava cleared the bill of Rs 3.5 lakh, when the other bill was produced he demanded Rs 30,000.ACB officials said that since the complainant did not want to pay the bribe amount, he informed ACB. The ACB sleuths laid a trap according to which it was decided to pay the bribe amount to Vasava in his office on Tuesday morning. “As the complainant handed over the bribe amount to accused, our men reached there and apprehended him,” said an official.Sources said that Vasava, a class III employee, had joined government services in June last year and this was his first posting.On Tuesday, ACB officials conducted search at Vasava’s office and home in Halol and will produce him before a local court on Wednesday to seek his custody for investigation.

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