Bribe case: HCS officer Meenakshi Dahiya on the run for six days now

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Chandigarh, June 3

After her peon was caught taking bribe, HCS officer Meenakshi Dahiya has been on the run for six days now.

Booked for extortion and under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on May 29, Dahiya allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh on a WhatsApp call from District Fisheries Officer Rajan Khora.

Stenographer, peon arrested

• Dahiya, Joint Secretary in the Fisheries Department, has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)
• On the complaint of District Fisheries Officer Rajan Khora, the ACB laid a trap and arrested Dahiya’s peon Satyender Singh for taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh on May 29. Her stenographer Joginder Singh was also arrested

Serving as Joint Secretary in the Fisheries Department, she was supposed to issue orders for dropping the chargesheet against Khora.

Khora, in his complaint, alleged that he was wrongly framed and a chargesheet was issued against him so that his junior could be promoted to the Deputy Director’s post. However, the inquiry officer cleared him of all charges. He further said the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Fisheries Department then moved the file for dropping the chargesheet against him. Furthermore, the minister-in-charge also agreed with the findings and directed the ACS to drop the chargesheet.

When the file reached Dahiya again, she called Khora to her Chandigarh office on April 17 through her stenographer Joginder Singh and allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh for issuing the orders.

Later, Joginder Singh sent Dahiya’s phone number to Khora and asked him to contact her via WhatsApp call. Khora made the WhatsApp call to the mobile number XXXXXX9999. She assured him that his orders would be issued the same day.

After receiving the order, Khora went to thank Dahiya on April 19. Regarding the Rs 1 lakh payment, she allegedly told him that she knew he had been on leave for 16 months for being unwell and was not getting any pay, so he could pay her later. She allegedly instructed him that once the arrangement for cash was made, he should contact her on WhatsApp and pay her directly. Khora claimed in his complaint that he had recorded her demand for bribe.

On May 19, Dahiya allegedly called Khora to inform him that she would be meeting him in a day or two, and that he should arrange the cash.

On May 22, there was a farewell party for Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Srikant Walgad as he was retiring. After the party, Dahiya met Khora in the parking lot of Pallavi hotel in Sector 5, Panchkula. She informed him that someone had complained about her to the Vigilance Department and now she would take the money through an intermediary.

She wrote down the number of Satyender Singh on a piece of paper along with his mobile number. She allegedly instructed Khora to contact her before delivering the money to Satyender. Satyender Singh was her peon.

After Khora’s complaint, the ACB laid a trap and arrested Satyender Singh for taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh on May 29. Stenographer Joginder Singh was also arrested. A source in the ACB said, “Dahiya is absconding. The investigation is going on.”