An investigative sting operation has captured multiple personnel attached to the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta organization on camera while negotiating bribes to weaken ongoing corruption cases. The operation exposes a network within the anti-corruption body itself that offers to dilute anti-graft cases in exchange for significant monetary payoffs. Posing as relatives of government employees caught in past bribery traps, undercover reporters successfully approached and recorded two constables, a technician, and a reader as they negotiated illicit deals.
The evidence gathered points to widespread manipulation of legal and forensic processes. Key individuals caught in the sting offered to systematically delay investigations, falsify mandatory voice samples, and compromise official transcripts to ensure favorable outcomes for the accused. Demands for bribes ranged from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh depending on the specific desk handling the file.
Tactics to Prolong Investigations and Tamper with Voice Samples
The primary contact in the network was identified as Amit Vishwakarma, a technician with the Bhopal Lokayukta. Meeting reporters in front of a private hospital in the Karond area, Vishwakarma claimed that cases could be intentionally dragged out until an accused individual’s retirement to safeguard their pension and retirement benefits. He demanded ₹5 lakh to manage the file, asserting that the investigation could be easily delayed for three to three-and-a-half years.
Vishwakarma further disclosed a method to manipulate forensic reports by changing the voice of the accused during official voice sampling sessions. He outlined a payment structure requiring half the amount upfront and the remainder after the voice sample procedure. Acting as a mediator between the officers and the accused, he also claimed that witnesses present during the voice sampling could be managed and briefed in advance on exactly what to say.
Exploiting Regional Dialects and Laboratory Contacts
Another key figure caught in the operation was Head Constable Yashwant Singh, who was recently transferred from Bhopal to Sagar. Singh echoed the claims regarding voice sample manipulation, estimating a cost of ₹5 lakh to ₹6 lakh to handle the matter. He suggested a legal strategy based on proving the absence of the accused at the crime scene on the day of the trap, thereby delaying the investigation by several months.
Singh claimed to possess internal connections within the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to influence final analysis reports. He instructed that the accused should practice speaking in the Bundelkhandi dialect to alter their natural speech patterns during the official recording. Additionally, he offered to procure case transcripts through a court reader for a fee of ₹20,000 to ₹30,000, promising a fabricated proforma script for the relatives to read.
Collusion Over Official Files and Pricing Adjustments
The operation also implicated Constable Ramdas Kurmi, stationed at the Bhopal Lokayukta, who was already under scrutiny for allegedly arranging settlements in past trap cases. When reporters questioned him about a bribery trap case linked to the Tribal Welfare Department, Kurmi initially directed them to the Jabalpur team. He later agreed to assist if a separate case materialised within the Bhopal jurisdiction, advising the reporters to visit his office directly to secure a deal.
Separately, Brij Bihari Pandey, a long-serving Bhopal Lokayukta constable currently posted at the Police Headquarters (PHQ), directed reporters to Gaurav Sahu, a reader at the Bhopal Lokayukta. Sahu subsequently contacted the reporters, claiming that the case file was directly under his Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and that he was managing the entire matter. Sahu offered to settle the file for a reduced fee of ₹3 lakh, instructing the reporters to bypass other intermediaries. He demanded an upfront payment of ₹2 lakh, assuring a final decision entirely in favor of the accused.
