A 34-year-old bribery case has come back to haunt a former constable, as a court has ordered his arrest for allegedly accepting a Rs 20 bribe from a woman carrying vegetables at Bihar's Saharsa railway station in 1990.
The incident dates back to May 6, 1990, when Suresh Prasad Singh, a constable from Barahiya, was on duty at Saharsa railway station. Singh stopped Sita Devi, a resident of Maheshkhunt, as she was carrying a bundle of vegetables on the station platform. Singh allegedly whispered something to Devi, prompting her to hand over money from a knot in her sari.
Singh pocketed the 20-rupee bribe, but his actions did not go unnoticed. He was caught red-handed by the then railway station in-charge, who had been observing him closely, and the bribe was immediately recovered.
Thirty-four years later, Special Vigilance Judge Sudesh Srivastava on Thursday directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to arrest and present Singh before the court.
Despite the seemingly minor amount, the case took on a life of its own, leading to legal proceedings that have spanned over three decades. Singh, who was granted bail, failed to appear in court and has been absconding since 1999, when his bail bond was cancelled and an arrest warrant was issued. Efforts to locate Singh proved futile, even after a property attachment order was issued.
The situation took a new turn recently when an investigation into Singh’s service records revealed he had provided a false address in Maheshkhunt, while his actual residence was in Bijoy village, Barahiya, Lakhisarai district.
Now, with new directives from Special Vigilance Judge Sudesh Srivastava, the Bihar Police's DGP has been instructed to ensure Singh's arrest. The court’s renewed focus on the case comes amid its ongoing efforts to address unresolved and long-pending cases of corruption and misconduct within the police force.
