Maharashtra: Industrial safety official booked for allegedly seeking bribe from surgeon in Palghar

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The Anti-Corruption Bureau has booked an official from the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) in Palghar, Maharashtra. The official is accused of demanding a bribe from a surgeon who had proper authorization to conduct health check-ups for employees in various factories and issue medical certificates.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dayanand Gawde, the accused allegedly requested the surgeon to pay Rs 50 per person examined between November 2022 and June 2023, totaling Rs 31,500 for 630 individuals examined during that period. Additionally, the official implied that the surgeon needed to continue paying bribes to continue his work. The surgeon reported the incident to the Palghar ACB, which conducted a preliminary investigation.

Based on their complaint, the Palghar police have registered charges against the DISH official under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case remains under investigation.

On September 13, Wednesday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested two traffic constables of Navi Mumbai police for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5,000 from an autorickshaw driver.

Deputy superintendent of police (Navi Mumbai ACB) Shivraj Mehetre told PTI that an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against traffic constables Pravin Rathod (33) and Namdeo Gadhekar (35), who are attached to the Mahape traffic division.

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The accused constables had caught an autorickshaw driver for traffic violations, seized his vehicle, and allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 for releasing it, he said.

Following negotiations, the duo settled for Rs 2,000 and were caught by the ACB while accepting the bribe amount on Monday.

On September 6, the Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested two persons, including an official of a firm associated with MMRDA, in connection with a bribe of Rs 7,000 collected from a local internet service provider in Maharashtra's Palghar district.

The duo was identified as Ashok Kumar Suryabanshrai (34), a field supervisor of a technical consultancy firm contracted by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), and Sahid Salim Varsi (25), a private person.

Dayanand Gawde, ACB's deputy superintendent of police, Palghar, said in a statement that Suryabanshrai demanded Rs 7,000 from a local internet service provider to allow him to lay fibre optic cables over an electric pole installed within the limits of MMRDA in Dahanu, reported PTI.

The field supervisor claimed that the money would be given to MMRDA to obtain permission to lay the cables, the complainant told ACB.

The anti-graft body laid a trap and arrested Sahid accepting the bribe on behalf of Suryabanshrai on Tuesday. The field supervisor was also arrested, he said, reported PTI.

A case has been registered against the two under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the official added.