Garrison engineer held taking bribe at Air Force station in Darbhanga

Darbhanga: An assistant Garrison engineer posted at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Bihar’s Darbhanga was arrested on Saturday while accepting a bribe of ₹50,000, a senior anti-corruption bureau (ACB) official said.

Kaushlesh Kumar, an assistant Garrison engineer with the Military Engineer Services (MES), was caught taking a bribe from a local contractor in exchange for processing a bill related to the measurement of a completed road construction project within the Air Force station premises, the official added.

Acting on a complaint filed by the contractor—who alleged that Kumar had repeatedly demanded bribes to clear his legitimate dues—the ACB laid a trap on Saturday. Officials entered the high-security zone in disguise and apprehended the accused while he was accepting the bribe.

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The proprietor of Shiv Shakti Construction, a firm involved in similar projects, had also accused the engineer of demanding bribes, the official added.

The arrested official will be produced before a designated court under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigation is underway.

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Meanwhile, the ACB team reported facing harassment upon reaching the Indian Air Force station in Darbhanga. They were allegedly denied entry for at least an hour by security personnel at the gate, despite presenting their official credentials. “We were made to wait unnecessarily and treated with suspicion, despite being on a lawful mission,” an ACB officer said, requesting anonymity.