An Assistant Town Planner (ATP) posted in the Municipal Corporation of Rohtak has been arrested along with two others by the Haryana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for accepting Rs 10 lakh as bribe for preventing the demolition of an unauthorised colony.
A spokesperson of ACB said as per complainant, the ATP had demanded a bribe of Rs 40 lakh from him, in collusion with co-accused Trilok Chand Sharma, a private architect. The bribe was demanded in exchange for preventing the demolition of the complainant’s unauthorized colony on nine acres of land.
The ATP allegedly directed the complainant to coordinate with Sharma for the delivery of the bribe money. The complainant met Sharma, he demanded a bribe from the complainant on behalf of the ATP. However, the complainant expressed inability to pay such a large amount. Eventually, the bribe amount was settled at Rs 20 lakh.
The complainant, who did not wish to pay the bribe, reported the demand made by the public servant through a middleman to the ACB.
“Acting swiftly on the complaint, the ACB set a trap, leading to the arrest of middleman Trilok Chand Sharma while accepting half of the bribe amount (Rs 10 lakh) as directed by the ATP. Subsequently, the ATP and another accused individual, a resident of Para Mohalla Rohtak, were also apprehended,” the spokesperson said.