Gurugram ACB nabs Palwal CMO for taking ₹1 lakh bribe

ACB arrested Palwal CMO Dr. Jai Bhagwan Jatain for accepting ₹1 lakh bribe from a hospital owner, demanding ₹15 lakh for operational approval.

The anti-corruption bureau’s (ACB) Gurugram unit arrested Palwal chief medical officer (CMO) on Thursday night when he was allegedly accepting ₹1 lakh bribe from a private hospital owner, officials said.

Palwal CMO Jai Bhagwan Jatain. (HT Photo)

ACB officials said the accused Dr Jai Bhagwan Jatain was taking bribe from the complainant at his official residence in Palwal late Thursday night.The complainant — along with three friends — had set up a private hospital in Palwal around four months back, a senior ACB official said. “However, Jatain had threatened him to get the hospital shut multiple times citing loopholes in infrastructure,” the official said.Later, the CMO demanded ₹15 lakh as bribe from the hospital owner to allow him run the hospital “smoothly without interruption”.

Jatain was handed over ₹6 lakh at his official residence early last month. The official informed that ₹3 lakh was also recovered from his residence during the raid on Thursday. The CMO had also told the complainant that he was asking for the money as he has to pay those above him in the hierarchy too.

Officials said an FIR was registered early on Thursday against Jatain under Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 308 (2) (extortion) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at ACB police station in Faridabad. A team reached the CMO’s residence where the bribe money was to be handed over, and he was arrested.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Arjun Rathi, ACB (Faridabad unit) said Jatain was produced before a court in Palwal on Friday evening for being taken on police-remand.

Jatain has earlier been posted as CMO in Nuh and other districts too and had nearly two years left for his superannuation, the DSP said.