KATHMANDU: Officials who have the compulsive habit of accepting bribes may be in for a trouble. For the Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in a bid to control corruption in government offices has deployed plainclothes sleuths to bust the corrupt officials.

As part of the anti-corruption drive, an Intelligence Unit, which works directly under the Acting Chief Commissioner of the CIAA Lalit Bahadur Limbu, has been formed. “We have taken this measure to deter government officials from accepting bribes,” Limbu told The Himalayan Times. The CIAA set up the Unit following complaints over the service delivery system in several government offices.

The officials would visit government offices and themselves offer bribes to see if the suspected officials come out clean. Necessary action would be taken against those who fall for the bait. Deputy Inspector General of Police Pushkar Regmi is the deputy of the Unit, which will be operative shortly.

“The agents are authorised to negotiate the amount of the bribe for services delivered,” Limbu said, adding that the agents would, however, have to take permission from higher authorities to arrest such officials on the spot.

The CIAA expects that the measure would largely help curb corruption rampant in government offices.