Gujarat ACB Nabs VCE in Bribe Case

Patan: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday caught a Village Computer Entrepreneur (VCE) while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.

The accused has been identified as Bharatbhai Somabhai Gadsaya (Thakor), 35, who works as a VCE at the Amrapur Gram Panchayat. According to the ACB, farmers residing in the Amrapur Pati area had submitted documents and applications to the accused to avail themselves of government assistance announced for crop losses caused by excessive rainfall in 2025. The accused allegedly demanded 50 per cent of the assistance amount, purportedly in the name of senior officials, to get the financial aid approved.

The ACB said a total of nine farmers were to receive assistance of around Rs 44,000 each. The complainant, who knew the accused, approached him after the farmers sought his help in dealing with the demand. The accused allegedly repeated the demand for 50 per cent of the assistance and asked the complainant to inform the farmers that the payment was required for approval of the assistance.

The farmers eventually agreed to pay the demanded amount. After the assistance was credited to their accounts, Rs 1.70 lakh, representing 50 per cent of the total assistance, was paid to the accused, including Rs 60,000 through PhonePe and Rs 1.10 lakh in cash. However, the accused allegedly demanded another Rs 20,000, following which negotiations were held and the amount was eventually settled at Rs 15,000.

Following the complaint, the ACB laid a trap at the VCE office of Amrapur Gram Panchayat on August 17. During the operation, the accused was allegedly caught accepting the Rs 15,000 bribe. The entire amount was recovered from him. The ACB has initiated further legal proceedings in connection with the case. DeshGujarat