ACB arrests Chhattisgarh civil surgeon in Rs 1 lakh bribery case

Raipur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested the in-charge Civil Surgeon of Sakti District Hospital in Chhattisgarh for allegedly accepting a Rs 1 lakh bribe from a pharmacist in exchange for forwarding his pending salary records to the Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) office. The doctor was allegedly caught during a trap operation, and further investigation is underway. 

According to ACB officials, the accused was allegedly caught red-handed on Thursday night while accepting the cash inside the complainant's vehicle. The agency carried out the trap after receiving a complaint from the pharmacist, who alleged that his salary-related documents had been deliberately withheld.

The complainant, a Grade-II pharmacist who has been posted at the Sakti District Hospital since February 2026, alleged that although his original posting is at the CMHO office in Portha, his salary data was not being forwarded for processing. 

He claimed that the civil surgeon demanded Rs 20,000 per month for each month from February to June 2026, amounting to Rs 1 lakh, to send the pending salary records to the CMHO office.   

Based on the complaint, the ACB verified the allegations and laid a trap. During the operation, officials allegedly caught the doctor accepting the bribe amount. The cash was recovered, and the accused was taken into custody.

The ACB has registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials said further investigation is underway to determine whether similar allegations exist and whether any other individuals were involved in the alleged bribery. 

According to TOI, the complainant alleged that the accused had deliberately withheld forwarding his salary data to the CMHO office and demanded Rs 20,000 for each month from February to June 2026 before processing the records. Acting on the complaint, the ACB conducted a trap operation and allegedly caught the civil surgeon accepting the bribe.