Under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, acceptance of undue advantage through a middleman:

Explanation 2(ii) to section 7 states that "it shall be immaterial" whether the public servant obtains or accepts the undue advantage "directly or through a third party". Using a middleman therefore neither takes the act outside section 7 nor shifts liability to the middleman alone, and no separate abetment charge is needed to reach the public servant.