Meerut, Aug. 26 -- The Anti-Corruption Organisation arrested Vandana Singh, principal of the Cooperative Dairy Training and Research Institute, red-handed while she was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs.1.35 lakh from a contractor for clearing his pending bills. The arrest was made from her office at around 1 pm following a complaint lodged by contractor Amit Siwach, a release issued by the department read on Tuesday. Siwach had alleged that Singh demanded Rs.1.35 lakh in exchange for releasing Rs.3.87 lakh owed to his firm, Siwach Traders, for supplying food to farmers undergoing training at the institute. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Singh at Partapur police station. The anti-corruption team, led by inspector Archana Singh and in-charge Durgesh Kumar, planned the operation after receiving Siwach's complaint on Friday. According to officials, Singh had asked the contractor to bring the alleged bribe to her office at 1 pm on Monday. As soon as Siwach handed over the cash, the ACO team conducted the raid and caught Singh red-handed with the money. Officials subsequently took her into custody for questioning. The action caused panic among officers and employees at the institute, with several officials reportedly leaving their seats and fleeing the premises following the raid. After her arrest, Singh was taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Bhudbaral in Partapur for a medical examination. She was subsequently taken to Partapur police station and later shifted to the women's police station. Singh assumed charge as principal of the institute on July 16. Siwach approached her on July 20 seeking clearance of the pending payment. He alleged that Singh demanded Rs.1.35 lakh as a bribe for releasing the amount and threatened to withhold the payment if the money was not paid. Siwach subsequently approached the ACO and lodged a formal complaint. Inspector Archana Singh said, "the complaint was received on Friday, following which the department verified the allegations and planned Monday's trap operation." Following the arrest, ACO officials questioned Singh until late on Monday night. Investigators also sought information from her regarding earlier payment-related matters at the institute. Officials are examining the circumstances surrounding the pending bills and whether there were any similar instances involving other contractors or payments. Singh, originally from 1428, Sector ILD Colony, Kanpur Road, Lucknow, is currently residing at Latina Tower, Mahagun Mirabella, Sector 79, Bisrakh, Noida. She was given charge as principal of the Cooperative Dairy Training and Research Institute in July. Before her appointment to the institute, she had served as administration manager at Meerut Parag Milk Dairy....