‘Missing’ BDO in jail for bribery

Patna: Kaimur police are searching for a “missing” official who the vigilance investigation bureau arrested on Thursday, showing the lack of coordination among the different government agencies.

Circle officer Bharat Bhushan lodged a missing complaint with Belao police in Kaimur district on Saturday, saying Rampur block development officer Varsha Tarve had not been coming to office since August 2. He sent his subordinate to hand over some official documents to her but she was not in office.

Bhushan said on enquiry, the block officials had told his staff that Varsha had not been coming to office since Thursday.

Belao police station house officer Ramanuj Singh confirmed that a missing complaint has been lodged.

“We are trying to trace the official,” he told The Telegraph over phone, unaware – at least officially – that Varsha had been arrested from Bhabua on bribery charges on Thursday.

Vigilance investigation bureau officials in Patna said Varsha was arrested from Kaimur district on August 2 for accepting Rs 1.15 lakh bribe from mukhiya Satyendra Kumar Singh at her official residence.

The bureau officials also seized Rs 1.70 lakh and a country-made pistol from her Royal Residence Apartment on Ashiana-Digha Road in Patna.

A case under the Arms Act has been lodged with Shastri Nagar police station in Patna against Varsha’s husband Mohammad Morad.

Station house officer Nihar Bhushan confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against Morad, a contractor in Gaya district.

Varsha is in judicial custody now. According to the rules, any public servant sent to judicial custody for more than 24 hours is suspended by the department concerned.

A deputy superintendent of police-rank officer said the information is sent to the department either by the investigating agency or by the jail administration where the person is lodged.

The officer, posted with the vigilance bureau, on Sunday said information related to the arrest of accused in trap cases is provided to the department to initiate disciplinary action. “Under what circumstances, a missing case has been lodged in Kaimur district is not known to me,” he told The Telegraph.

Sources said the missing complaint was filed at the behest of a senior administrative official in Kaimur district.

Courtesy: The Telegraph