The Red-Handed Trap
A senior bureaucrat in Assam has been taken into custody following a targeted anti-corruption operation in Guwahati. Lachit Kumar Das, an Assam Civil Service (ACS) officer serving as the Additional Director of Land Records in Rupnagar, was arrested by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (V&AC) on May 21, 2026. Officials caught Das red-handed while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹45,000. The money was part of a larger ₹1 lakh bribe demand linked to issuing a crucial No-Objection Certificate (NOC) required for a land sale permission.
Midnight Raid Yields Enormous Wealth
Following the arrest, anti-corruption investigators launched an immediate, overnight search at the bureaucrat’s private residence. The raid unearthed an immense cache of undisclosed wealth that far exceeded the initial bribery amount. Vigilance teams recovered ₹48.38 lakh in hard cash stored on the premises.
Seizure of Financial and Property Documents
Beyond the liquid currency, investigators uncovered extensive long-term investments and asset portfolios. The team seized Fixed Deposit (FD) certificates worth ₹80 lakh, alongside a substantial stack of sensitive financial and property-related documents. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption confirmed the extensive haul on May 22, 2026, stating that a rigorous forensic and legal review of the seized paperwork is currently underway to map the full extent of the officer’s illegal assets.
