Kolkata, Oct. 13 -- A Kolkata Police traffic home guard was arrested by the state police Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) in connection with a sweeping multi-crore illegal truck bribery syndicate.
The accused home guard, attached to the Ultadanga Traffic Guard, was officially taken into custody on Monday after being summoned to the ACB headquarters questioning. According to ACB officials, the arrest was formalised after consistent non-cooperation by the accused with investigators and allegedly attempting to conceal his role in the illegal operation.
The ACB's ongoing investigation has exposed a highly-organised racket operating across the jurisdictions of Kolkata, Howrah, and Baruipur and Bidhannagar. The syndicate allegedly collected massive sums of money from commercial vehicle operators in exchange for safe passage through restricted 'no-entry' zones during peak hours.
Investigators revealed that trucks were being charged a fixed, systematic bribe of approximately Rs 2,500 per vehicle. This allowed them to completely bypass city traffic restrictions, posing severe public safety and congestion hazards. Sources said that the home guard was operating as a ground-level cog in a much larger administrative wheel. The arrest follows the apprehension of an alleged prime middleman and syndicate broker, Sanjib Nandy, who was arrested by the agency in September. Nandy's interrogation reportedly blew the lid off the extensive network.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.