Prayagraj: An inspector posted at Bara police station in Prayagraj was caught red-handed by the anti-corruption team while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs75,000 inside his office on Wednesday afternoon. The accused, inspector Vinod Kumar Sonkar, allegedly demanded the money from a complainant in exchange for filing a final report in a criminal case.Officials said the complainant, Santosh Kumar Dubey, a resident of Lukmanpur in the Suriyawan thana area of Bhadohi district, approached the anti-corruption department, alleging that the inspector sought Rs75,000 to close the case registered against him at Bara police station. Following the complaint, a preliminary inquiry was conducted, which reportedly indicated irregularities in the officer’s conduct. Subsequently, a trap was laid under the supervision of anti-corruption inspector Mrityunjay Kumar Mishra.As per the plan, Dubey reached the police station around 2:40pm with the marked currency notes. After a telephonic conversation, Sonkar called him into his office. The anti-corruption team immediately apprehended the inspector as soon as he accepted the bribe amount. Legal formalities were initiated on the spot, and the accused was later taken to Ghoorpur police station for further proceedings.Sonkar, a native of Sarnath in Varanasi, was promoted from sub-inspector to inspector rank in 2012. He earlier served as in-charge of Khuldabad and Shahganj police stations in Prayagraj and was reportedly removed from Shahganj following complaints before being posted to police lines. About six months ago, he was appointed as in-charge of Bara police station.The complainant alleged that he was forcibly named in the case during the investigation and that the officer earlier took money to remove his name. When the demand for Rs75,000 was repeated, he decided to approach the anti-corruption authorities. Further investigation and legal action in the matter is underway.
