ACB trap in Baran: District collector Indra Singh Rao named in FIR

Jaipur: Baran district collector Indra Singh Rao has been named in the FIR registered by the Rajasthan anti-corruption bureau (ACB) a day after his personal assistant (PA) was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1.40 lakh. The Rajasthan government has put Rao on awaited posting orders (APO). The ACB quizzed him on Thursday. The ACB officials didn’t rule out his arrest.

Indra Singh Rao is an promotee RAS officer of 1989 batch. His PA Mahaveer Nagar was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1.40 lakh on Wednesday. ACB’s Kota unit had received a complaint that PA Nagar was demanding the bribe to issue NOC for a petrol pump. The complaint was verified and a trap was laid. Nagar was caught accepting the bribe in the district collector’s office. In the preliminary investigation, it came up that Nagar demanded the bribe on behalf of district collector Rao. The ACB lodged an FIR and booked Nagar under various sections of the Prevention of the Corruption Act. In the FIR, Rao was named as an accused.

Rao was quizzed for more than 10 hours on Thursday, a day after the trap. His mobile phone was seized by the ACB.

“Further investigation is going on,” said an ACB officer.