Khaberni - The desire of an Indian government engineer to own an iPhone ended in a professional scandal, after falling into a well-laid trap by the anti-corruption authorities in Rajasthan, where he was caught red-handed receiving the device as a bribe from a contractor under his supervision.
The General Director of the State's Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed that a serious complaint was received by the office on January 5, 2026, from a contractor specializing in the maintenance of hand pumps and repairing water line leaks.
The complainant accused the supervising engineer Vishnu Chand Goyal of financial extortion, beginning with collecting 25,000 rupees in fake registration fees, then evolving into continuous harassment including manufactured objections to work and explicit threats of termination.
The contractor faced accusations of tampering with labor bills by Goyal, who not only did that but also reprimanded him harshly for not presenting gifts during Holi and Diwali despite years of working together, in a clear attempt to humiliate and subdue him.
Demands escalated since last August when Goyal unexpectedly demanded the contractor buy an iPhone in exchange for settling overdue financial dues and stopping the campaign of orchestrated harassment.
The Deputy Additional Police Supervisor revealed striking details, as the accused initially demanded the latest iPhone 17 Pro model but had to downgrade to iPhone 16 Pro after the contractor raised objections over financial ability, shifting from his old Samsung to the luxurious world of iPhone.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau moved with high precision, conducting secret investigations on January 7 which confirmed the allegations of extortion and bribery, according to the newspaper "indianexpress".
The decisive moment came on Friday when the complainant entered Goyal's office carrying an older model phone worth 84,000 rupees, accompanied by a bill issued in the engineer's name as he had requested, while the accused was unaware that anti-corruption agents were monitoring every move, and as soon as he reached out to receive the phone, they apprehended him and his dreams of technological luxury collapsed.
Inspections led to shocking discoveries at Goyal's home, where they found cash worth 4.8 lakh rupees, 7.7 kilograms of silver, and 62 grams of gold, along with a real estate empire consisting of 5 plots of land in Jaipur, another in Jodhpur, and a house in Kota.
The fallen engineer now awaits facing justice with charges under the corruption prevention act, while authorities continue to delve deeper into his suspicious wealth.
