Kalyanpur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday trapped and arrested two persons while they were allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh in Devbhumi Dwarka district. The accused had allegedly demanded money from a quarry operator in exchange for ensuring that he and his business partner would not face harassment in connection with a black stone quarry operation.

The accused have been identified as Diabhai Arjanbhai Parmar (55), a resident of Haripar village and husband of the Haripar Gram Panchayat sarpanch, and Jivabhai Arjanbhai Parmar (41), a resident of Kalyanpur engaged in agriculture and hardware trading.

According to the ACB, the complainant, who approached the agency, alleged that the accused had demanded a total bribe of ₹30 lakh to prevent harassment by the sarpanch and members of the Haripar Gram Panchayat in connection with the operation of a black stone quarry at Haripar village. During negotiations, the accused allegedly agreed to accept ₹20 lakh, with ₹5 lakh to be paid immediately as the first instalment.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, which laid a trap on June 8 at the office of the complainant’s friend in Dwarkadhish Complex, opposite the Kalyanpur Mamlatdar Office.

During the trap, both accused allegedly held discussions with the complainant and a witness, reiterated their demand for ₹5 lakh and accepted the money. ACB officials then apprehended the duo and recovered the entire bribe amount of ₹5 lakh from their possession.

Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat