Garhwal Post Bureau
Haridwar, 24 Feb: A clerk posted in a government department in Haridwar district has been caught red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe. The Vigilance Establishment team arrested a Data Entry Operator posted at the GST office in Roshanabad here today while he was taking Rs 20,000 as illegal gratification. The accused had been working in the GST department for the past 18 years on a contractual basis. The accused person is stated to be working as an employee outsourced through UPNL.
According to official information, the Vigilance Department had received a complaint from a local businessman stating that his firm, Himanshi Packaging Industry, had been closed since 2021. However, in connection with the settlement of VAT tax dues for the last three months of 2017, prior to the implementation of GST, the department had reportedly shown an outstanding amount of Rs 1.76 lakhs against his firm.
It was alleged that in order to settle the matter, the Data Entry Operator posted in the GST office, Pramod Semwal, demanded Rs 1.20 lakhs in cash from the complainant and instructed him to pay the amount in instalments. After verifying the complaint, the Vigilance team laid a trap to apprehend the accused.
Acting as per the pre-arranged plan, the Vigilance team today arrested Pramod Semwal while he was allegedly accepting Rs 20,000 as part of the bribe near the office of the Assistant Commissioner, State Tax, Sector 3, Roshanabad. He was taken into custody on the spot.
The accused has been identified as Pramod Semwal, son of Shiv Sharan Semwal, resident of Siddharth Enclave, Dwarika Vihar, Jagjitpur, Haridwar. It is learnt that he had been working for the past 18 years as a Data Entry Operator in the office of the Assistant Commissioner, State Tax, Sector 3, Haridwar through UPNL.
Following his arrest, the Vigilance Establishment has initiated proceedings against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials are also examining his income and expenditure details and collecting further information regarding his financial transactions. Further investigation in the matter is underway.
It may be noted that, recently, in Haridwar, the District Supply Officer (DSO) and his assistant were arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. Earlier, in Roorkee, the Vigilance team had apprehended a government doctor while he was allegedly taking a bribe. These recurring incidents have once again raised concerns over corruption within public offices in the State.
