Additional director-general, vigilance, Neelamani said the bureau had laid a trap for the officer in-charge of Shahpur police station in Patna after being tipped off that he was supposed to collect his booty from Shivam Apartment near Shyamal Hospital.

As soon as Singh pocketed the money, vigilance officials in plain clothes, caught him. Singh had struck a deal for Rs 4 lakh to let off criminal Satish Pandey, wanted in several car theft cases.

A vehicle lifter, Satish sold stolen cars on the basis of fake documents. Singh met Satish through his brother Munna Pandey and threatened to kill the gangster if he did not cough up Rs 4 lakh. Singh also told Satish that he had been awarded for "a successful encounter" and he would not hesitate to "eliminate one more".

An intimidated Satish gave Singh Rs 35,000 in cash and a gold chain. "But Singh asked him to arrange for Rs 4 lakh and the deal was struck. Unable to arrange the money, Satish's mother called up the vigilance bureau and the sleuths laid a trap to snare him," said Neelmani.

At 8 p.m. on Monday, Singh reached Satish's house to collect the money. As soon as he accepted the money, the vigilance team overpowered him. Neelmani said the three DSPs Prakash Nath Mishra, Shashi Bhushan Sharma and Parvez Akhtar along with a team of Gorkha forces had been stationed for the operation. The officer-in-charge is being interrogated.