Three revenue officials were detained by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) on Thursday in connection with an alleged Rs 2 lakh bribery demand for processing mutation work in Mandi

The SV&ACB laid a trap at Gohar after receiving a complaint that Kanungo Bansi Lal and Patwari Arun Dhiman had allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh as a bribe to process a mutation case. As part of the alleged conspiracy, Patwari Sahayak Lalit Kumar was sent to collect the bribe amount from the complainant.

During the operation, Lalit Kumar was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 1 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe. The tainted currency was recovered in the presence of witnesses, officials said.

Following the trap, all three accused officials—Bansi Lal, Arun Dhiman and Lalit Kumar—were detained for questioning. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the law at the the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau police station.

The bureau has initiated further investigation to establish the role of each accused and gather additional evidence while recording statements as part of the case.

The accused will be produced before a competent court on Friday, where the investigating agency will seek their police remand for further interrogation.

DSP Priyank Gupta of the SV&ACB, Mandi, confirmed the report and said investigation is under way.