SMS Medical College HoD Neurosurgery arrested for taking Rs 1 lakh bribe to clear pending bills

Jaipur: The Head of the Department (HoD) of Neurosurgery at SMS Medical College was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the supplier to clear pending bills worth Rs 12 lakh. The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested him on the spot.

The supplier, who is the complainant in the case, supplies brain coils to the neurosurgery department of the hospital. He complained that he has a two-year pending bill of Rs 12 lakh and in exchange for countersigning bills, Dr Manish Agrawal, the HoD Neurosurgery at the SMS medical college demanded Rs 1 lakh from him.

Before handing over the bribe, the supplier informed the ACB’s Additional Director General of Police. After verifying the complaint, the Bureau laid a trap and caught the doctor while he was accepting the money.

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According to a statement issued by the ACB headquarters, Dr Manish Agrawal, who also holds the post of Additional Principal at the college, was caught red-handed by the agency's Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Jaipur, while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant.

Additional Director General of Police (ACB) Smita Srivastava told PTI the Bureau had received a complaint alleging that the accused was demanding a bribe in exchange for countersigning bills related to the supply of brain coils used in neurosurgery.

Following the complaint, the SIU team, acting under the supervision of DIG Anil Kayal, verified the complaint and confirmed its accuracy. Later, the team decided to lay down a trap for the accused doctor, during which he was apprehended while taking the bribe.

Sources told Times of India that the complainant represented a firm supplying brain coils, which is a tiny, soft metal wire used to fix a bulge in a brain artery, also known as an aneurysm, to prevent bleeding in the brain.

"The company submitted bills worth Rs 12 lakh for supplies made over the past two years. The file reached Dr Agrawal's desk, but he repeatedly delayed signing it," an official informed.

Investigators informed The Times of India that when the complainant first sent a representative to discuss the pending bills, Dr Agrawal became angry, threw the documents aside, and refused to process them. He allegedly demanded a bribe to clear the payment. Despite the complainant’s explanation that all supplies were made as per contract terms and government procedures, he reportedly insisted that the payment would be approved only after the money was handed over.

The ACB said that further questioning and investigation are underway. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and further investigation is in progress.

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