Guwahati, Jun 20 (PTI) A Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) was on Thursday arrested for allegedly taking bribe in Golaghat district of Assam, police said.

The Vigilance & Anti-Corruption (V&AC) wing of Assam Police apprehended the officer from his residence at Jonaki Nagar in Golaghat, they said.

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A complaint was received that the Assam Forest Service (AFS) officer had demanded Rs 3 lakh as bribe for not cancelling the work order issued in favour of the complainant, the police said in a statement.

Later, the DFO had reduced the amount to Rs 1.25 lakh, it said.

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“Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Directorate of V&AC for taking necessary legal action against the public servant. Accordingly, a trap was laid by a team in the official residence of the DFO,” the release said.

The officer was caught immediately after he accepted Rs 30,000 as part of the bribe from the complainant, it said.

Necessary legal follow up action is underway, police said.

In a similar development during the day, the Beat Officer of Gabharu Forest in Sonitpur district was arrested by V&AC sleuths for allegedly demanding and accepting bribe.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)