Vigilance nabs Forest Range Officer for accepting Rs 10,000 bribe in Paonta Sahib

himachaleditor November 5, 2026 2 minutes read

Nahan, November 5

The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) on Wednesday arrested a Range Officer of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 in Paonta Sahib of Sirmaur district. The officer had allegedly threatened to confiscate two tractors allegedly involved in sand mining from the Yamuna river and demanded money in exchange for allowing the mining activity to continue without official action.

The accused, identified as Sumant, posted as Range Officer (RO) in the Bhagani area, was caught red-handed by a vigilance team in a carefully planned trap operation led by DSP, District Vigilance, Sirmaur, Ramakant Thakur.

According to the complaint, Ikram, son of Iqbal and a resident of Bhagani, who works as a labourer, approached the Vigilance Department alleging that the officer had threatened his brother-in-law, Zulfan, with the confiscation of two tractors in connection with sand mining activities in the Yamuna river. The officer allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 to refrain from taking action against the vehicles.

Acting on the complaint, the vigilance team laid a trap in Paonta Sahib on November 3. A team led by Inspector Manoj Kumar apprehended the officer immediately after he allegedly accepted the bribe amount.

An FIR was registered at the Vigilance Police Station, Nahan, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended. SP Vigilance, South Range, N.K. Sharma, confirmed the arrest and said further investigation was underway.

The arrest has once again brought the issue of illegal sand mining and the alleged involvement of government functionaries into focus in the Paonta Sahib region. Despite repeated enforcement drives and restrictions, unauthorised extraction of riverbed minerals continues to remain a challenge in several parts of Himachal Pradesh.

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The incident also raises questions about the functioning of the enforcement machinery responsible for regulating mining activities along the Yamuna river. While the alleged demand for money in exchange for not confiscating vehicles points to possible corruption at the enforcement level, the wider issue of organised sand mining and the alleged protection enjoyed by operators warrants closer scrutiny.

The vigilance investigation is expected to establish whether the alleged bribery was an isolated incident or part of a wider pattern of illegal gratification linked to mining operations.