Mysuru: The Deputy Director of Pre-University (DDPU) Board, Mysuru, the highest officer of the district for PU Education, was caught red-handed yesterday by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths while taking bribe from a private college to renew licence.

The officer, Jayaprakash, was supposed to retire this month-end and he had demanded Rupees two-and-a-half-lakh as bribe and was accepting the first instalment of Rs. 25,000 from the college authorities. Along with Jayaprakash, his official driver too was trapped.

The bribe was being accepted by Jayaprakash from the Administrative Officer of Vijayachetana PU College at around 1 pm. The college authorities had applied for renewal of licence for the composite college for the year 2017-18 and had applied in the prescribed format. They had sent the application along with details to DDPU for his approval.

Accordingly, sometime back, the DDPU had visited the college and had examined the basic facilities offered by the institution to its students. Jayaprakash had to send the report to the State Government about the college, its infrastructure and  facilities and his recommendation for the Government to approve the renewal.

According to the college authorities, soon after their application and after his visit, Jayaprakash started demanding bribe for licence renewal. He had demanded a whopping  Rs. 2.50 lakh and was constantly calling the college management for the money.

Fed up by his frequent demands of money, the Administrative Officer of the college had filed a written complaint with the ACB on Saturday (July 1) and the ACB sleuths had prepared to investigate and lay a trap to nab the DDPU.

The DDPU again called up the college authorities yesterday morning and told them that he would come to the college at 11 am and had asked them to keep the cash ready. He later asked the Administrative Officer to come with the money to a junction near the college. Jayaprakash had come to the junction in his car with his official driver Prakash.

The ACB was alerted by the Administrative Officer before leaving the college to the junction where Jayaprakash had asked him to come with the cash. At the junction, the DDPU was handed over Rs. 25,000 and he asked the Administrative Officer to make arrangements to pay the remaining Rs. 2.25 lakh as soon as possible. As the bribe money was being handed over to Jayaprakash, ACB sleuths surrounded the car and trapped the DDPU. Jayaprakash was to retire this month end.

The trap was laid with the direction of ACB Superintendent of Police Kala Krishnaswamy and Dy.SP Gajendra Prasad. ACB Inspectors Vinay Sureshkumar and team participated in the operation. Jayaprakash was later produced before a Court.

Jayaprakash had assumed office in Mysuru in November last year. After the retirement of K.M. Puttu as DDPU, Dr. Regina P. Malaki was the in-charge who had later handed over the charge to Jayaprakash. Before being posted to Mysuru as DDPU, he was DDPU in Chamarajanagar district.