Why Was an Arunachal College Teacher Arrested for a Rs 2.5 Lakh Bribe?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The CBI arrested an assistant professor for accepting a bribe.
- The total bribe amount was Rs 2.5 lakh.
- Bribery involved contracts for inflated supplies.
- The investigation was initiated based on a tip-off.
- Both the professor and supplier were apprehended during a sting operation.
Guwahati, July 24 (NationPress) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into custody an assistant professor at the College of Agriculture in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh. This includes Rs 1.95 lakh received in May and Rs 55,000 recently, in exchange for awarding contracts to a supplier at inflated prices, according to an official report.
The accused, Pavankumar Goudar, was apprehended on Wednesday under charges of criminal conspiracy and soliciting a bribe by a public servant, as well as related accusations of bribery by a commercial entity and abetment, a CBI representative stated.
Goudar was caught red-handed accepting Rs 55,000 from Anand Kumar Dwivedi, owner of Matrix Solution, after he had previously taken Rs 1.95 lakh in May.
According to the CBI, a tip-off revealed that Goudar conspired with Dwivedi and others to inflict wrongful loss upon the college.
The CBI FIR indicated that Dwivedi had transferred the bribe of Rs 1.95 lakh in May 2025 to a designated bank account provided by Goudar in exchange for favoritism in contract awards and the supply of goods.
It was revealed that Goudar had recently approved a contract for 30 Milton buckets from Dwivedi at an inflated cost.
The buckets were delivered on July 3, and on July 15, Goudar informed Dwivedi that the inflated order amounting to Rs 75,000 was unjustified, as the actual supply cost was Rs 36,000 at Rs 1,200 per bucket, and demanded the difference of Rs 39,000 as a bribe.
Goudar also sought an outstanding bribe of Rs 24,000 from previous transactions.
Dwivedi consented to pay Rs 55,000 in total as a bribe against the demanded amount of Rs 63,000, according to the investigating agency.
On July 21, Goudar reminded Dwivedi about the bribe payment and insisted on the Rs 55,000 to be transferred by Wednesday.
Both individuals were arrested during the payment of the bribe after the CBI executed a sting operation, as confirmed by the agency.
A preliminary report filed prior to the FIR stated, “A regular case is registered under sections 61 (2) of BNS and sections 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Goudar, Dwivedi, and unidentified others, with the investigation being assigned to the CBI, ACB, Guwahati.”