New delhi, February 12: A Month after the arrest and suspension of Hamirpur regional transport officer Mohan Lal Mehta on charges of corruption, the state’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested his successor who was yet to join the posting.
In one of the biggest ever seizures of “bribe money”, the bureau recovered Rs 11.9 lakh from the possession of senior Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service (HAS) officer Raj Dev Jasrotia on Thursday.
Jasrotia, who had been recently transferred from Tissa in Chamba district, was travelling in a Hyundai Accent to Hamirpur when he was intercepted at Tunnuhatti.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vigilance S R Mardi said: “Jasrotia was posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate at Tissa and was supposed to join his new posting as the Regional Transport Officer of Hamirpur. There was specific information about him that he had collected huge money from the promoters of hydel projects in the area.”
A police party headed by Pritam Singh Patial, Superintendent of Police (North), was positioned at Tunnihatti along with Deputy SP Arvind Chaudhry.
“On checking his vehicle, the raiding party found a suitcase containing Rs 11.9 lakh in cash,” Mardi added.
The police said another vehicle, which was following the Accent, had also been impounded by the vigilance team. An officer said more seizures were likely.
On his way to Hamirpur from Tissa, according to information, the accused officer is said to have changed his vehicle thrice to give police the slip. He did not use his official jeep and instead took the private vehicle from a local trader.
A vigilance spokesman said an FIR under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act had been registered against Jasrotia.
The vigilance bureau had since last year arrested IAS officer Sanjay Gupta, Chief Drug Controller Sher Singh, a chief engineer of the power board and three PWD engineers, besides Mehta, recovering Rs 14 lakh in total.
“We are thankful to the public for providing us with exact information to nab the corrupt,” said Director General of Police D S Manhas.
—-Agencies