An outsourced livestock inspector working with the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation has been caught red-handed while accepting a bribe from a cattle owner in the Gujarat state capital. The Anti-Corruption Bureau apprehended the worker after he allegedly demanded money in exchange for not impounding the complainant's livestock and not registering a legal case against him. The prompt complaint by the cattle rearer allowed enforcement officers to lay a trap and recover the entire extorted cash on the spot.
Accused Worked with Cattle Nuisance Department
Officials identified the arrested individual as twenty-two-year-old Jaydeepsinh Rajput. Rajput was deployed through an outsourcing contractor as a Class III livestock inspector within the Cattle Nuisance Control Department of the Gandhinagar civic body. The team he operated with is tasked with rounding up stray and roaming animals across public thoroughfares and enforcing municipal regulations against owners who let livestock roam freely.
Initial Rs 40,000 Demand Scaled Down for Diwali
Inquiries revealed that Jaydeepsinh Rajput originally demanded an extortion payment of Rs 40,000 from the cattle businessman. The inspector pitched the payment as an advance Diwali festival instalment while promising full immunity from municipal crackdowns, assuring that the businessman's animals would remain untouched and no penal notices would be issued. Following negotiations, the demanded sum was reduced to Rs 22,000. Refusing to yield to the extortion, the cattle farmer approached the Gandhinagar ACB and lodged an official grievance, prompting immediate operational planning by investigators.
Enforcement Ambush in Sector 28
The Anti-Corruption Bureau laid a precise trap on October 30 near a street situated behind a public garden in Gandhinagar's Sector 28. In accordance with the prearranged strategy, the accused arrived at the spot to collect the funds from the complainant. The moment Rajput took receipt of the Rs 22,000 cash, waiting vigilance officers moved in and detained him. The complete bribe amount was recovered from his direct possession. Gandhinagar ACB Police Station Inspector M. M. Solanki spearheaded the entire operation.
Prior Extortion Scandal in August 2022
The municipal cattle-catching wing has experienced identical corruption scandals in the past. In August 2022, the anti-graft watchdog caught two outsourced workers linked to the same operation while extracting a Rs 15,000 payoff from a cattle keeper. That incident involved a dedicated animal-catching field hand and an agency driver, highlighting persistent vulnerabilities within third-party municipal hiring.
Past Shakedown Involved Group Payoffs
The workers arrested during the 2022 operation were identified as Manoj alias Bablu Shanaji Thakor and Bunty Jayantibhai Vaghela. In that case, both men had sought Rs 15,000 to overlook roaming animals, claiming the collected bribe was meant to be shared across five individuals at the rate of Rs 5,000 per share. Both workers faced prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The latest apprehension of Rajput demonstrates that municipal field enforcement remains prone to corrupt solicitations when regular oversight is compromised.
