Mining officer booked for demanding bribe

An FIR was lodged against Seraikela-Kharsawan district mining officer (DMO) on charges of demanding ₹60,000 bribe for releasing a seized tractor, police said on Sunday.

The accused DMO was identified as Sunny Kumar. The development came after victim Vinayak Dubey filed a complaint case against Kumar in the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Seraikela-Kharsawan.

“An FIR has been lodged under Sections 323, 341, 379 and 384 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) against DMO Sunny Kumar as per the court order. We are further investigating the allegations against the DMO,” Manohar Kumar, Seraikela police station officer in-charge (OC), said.

As per the complainant, the DMO seized his three tractors about three months ago. “Two tractors were released after payment of due fine but the third tractor wasn’t released and no fine was levied nor any case was lodged. Instead, the DMO demanded ₹60,000 bribe for releasing the third tractor and threatened to implicate me in other cases if I don’t pay up,” Dubey alleged in his complaint.