Lokayukta Unit apprehended Village Employment Assistant red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 5,000. Following the directives of Director General Lokayukta, Yogesh Deshmukh, to maintain a rigorous stance against administrative corruption, the Jabalpur Lokayukta unit conducted a successful trap operation in the Seoni district on Thursday. The operation resulted in the arrest of Omendra Kumar Pardhi, a Village Employment Assistant (Gram Rozgar Sahayak) posted at the Gram Panchayat of Salhe Kosmi, Barghat Tehsil. The accused was apprehended at his private residence while allegedly accepting bribe of Rs. 5,000. The enforcement action was initiated based on a formal complaint lodged by Abdul Wahab, a resident of Village Salhe Kosmi.

 

According to official reports, the bribe was demanded in exchange for prioritizing the inclusion of his wife, Sabina Bi in the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) beneficiary list and expediting the allocation of housing funds totaling Rs. 150,000 under the aforementioned scheme. The Lokayukta team caught the accused “red-handed” during the transaction. Legal proceedings have been initiated under Sections 7, 13(1)B, and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). The successful execution of the trap was managed by a specialised team from Jabalpur Lokayukta, led by DSP Neetu Tripathi. Other members included Inspector Shashi Marskole and Inspector Brijmohan Singh Narvariya and others. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing to determine if further administrative irregularities exist within the local panchayat office.