Surendra Soren
Khunti
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested Sapna Sulekha, a police sub-inspector and in-charge of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU)-cum-Khunti Women’s Police Station, allegedly while accepting a bribe of ₹50,000.
The accused police officer was arrested red-handed during a trap operation conducted by the ACB. A case has been registered against her under Section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018.
According to the ACB, Shyam Kumar, a resident of Hurlung in Khunti, had lodged a complaint alleging that Sulekha had demanded ₹4.5 lakh in exchange for providing relief in a case registered against him and extending cooperation during the investigation. The case, AHTU Police Station Case No. 06/2025, is pending against the complainant.
Following negotiations, it was allegedly agreed that ₹50,000 would be paid as the first instalment of the demanded amount. The ACB subsequently verified the complaint and found the allegations to be prima facie true.
Based on the verification, the ACB Ranchi Police Station registered Case No. 15/26 on July 29, 2026, and constituted a trap team.
The team laid the trap on Thursday and caught Sulekha while she was allegedly accepting ₹50,000 from the complainant. She was taken into custody and is being questioned by the investigating agency.
The ACB said further investigation is underway and departmental action may also be initiated against the accused officer.
This is not the first such case involving the Khunti Women’s Police Station. Earlier, former Women’s Police Station in-charge Meera Kumari had also been arrested by the ACB for allegedly accepting a bribe and was subsequently sent to judicial custody.
The ACB has appealed to members of the public to immediately report any demand for bribes by government officials so that appropriate legal action can be taken.
