How Did A Janata Bhawan Employee Get Caught in A Bribery Sting?

The Dispur police on Friday trapped a government employee red-handed while attempting to collect a bribe of Rs 2.25 lakh in the guise of the Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell. The employee has been identified as Ratul Deka, a Grade IV employee at the Janata Bhawan. 

The arrest follows the filing of an FIR by Vinayak Sales Corporation against Kushal Goswami, who had earlier taken goods worth several lakhs, including laptops, computers, CCTV cameras, generators, water pumps, and sound systems, from various businessmen under bounced checks issued in the name of Him Tec Cooperation. While Goswami allegedly collected goods, he failed to pay the sellers. Kushal Goswami was apprehended by Khetri police on September 2.

Investigations revealed that Ratul Deka had connections with Kushal Goswami and was exploiting his position at Janata Bhawan to collect bribes from businessmen. He allegedly threatened the businessmen who had to receive the cash from Kushal. According to police sources, Ratul Deka, a resident of Rangia, was nabbed while receiving the bribe money in hand at Panbazar today.

During the arrest, police recovered a sensitive file from Ratul Deka’s possession. The file, reportedly from the Chief Minister’s Office, has been marked as 'received' by the CM’s office, raising concerns about internal file security. 

The Dispur police have now launched an inquiry into how a Grade IV employee could carry such an official file outside the CM’s office.

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