Maharashtra: Civic official, town planner held for bribery in Latur

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The chief officer of Ahmedpur municipal council in Latur district of Maharashtra and a town planner were nabbed for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe, a Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau official said on Thursday, reported the PTI.

Chief Officer Kakasaheb Doifode (39) and town planner Ajay Kasture (55) were allegedly caught red-handed during a trap laid by the ACB on Wednesday, he said, as per the PTI.

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"They had sought Rs 7 lakh from a man to sanction a plot layout. The duo was held while accepting Rs 5 lakh. The two have been charged under Prevention of Corruption Act," he said.

Last week, a woman talathi, or revenue department official, was held by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Maharashtra's Raigad district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 6,000 to do an official work, the ACB had said on Thursday, the PTI had earlier reported.

According to the PTI, The woman, identified as Shilpa Pawar, was arrested on Wednesday, said the ACB.

A local resident had approached the talathi office for getting his name entered in an official document. Pawar demanded Rs 6,000 from him for making the entry in government record, it said, as per the PTI.

He filed a complaint with the ACB's Raigad unit, which laid a trap and caught the revenue department official while accepting the bribe, said the anti-corruption agency.

A case was registered against her under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Meanwhile, in an another incident, the ACB acted on the orders of a court and registered a case against a retired police officer and two of his subordinates in connection with a bribe of Rs 2.25 lakh, an official said on Wednesday, the news agency reported.

Retired ACP (assistant commissioner of police) Sudhir Kalekar, earlier posted as senior inspector of Borivali police station, has been booked in the case along with his juniors, inspector Arvind Ghag and sub-inspector Swapnali Mande, the PTI reported.

Mande had allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 2.25 lakh on behalf of both the cops to help a woman get her jewellery back from her estranged husband and in-laws and punish them in a domestic violence case, the official said.

ACB Mumbai on Tuesday registered the case against Kalekar, Ghag and Mande under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the court's direction.

A 32-year-old female lawyer had filed a complaint of domestic violence against her husband and in-laws in June 2021. Accordingly, an FIR was registered at Borivali police station, he said, as per the PTI.

During the probe, the complainant wrote to the police seeking to get back her jewellery worth Rs 27 lakh from her in-laws, the official said.

Mande, who was the investigating officer, had allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh on behalf of Ghag and Kalekar from the complainant to get back her jewellery, ensure a strong case against her husband and in-laws and to record her statement under section 164 (5) (A) of CrPC before a magistrate to make it foolproof, he said.

Mande called the complainant to the police station and allegedly received Rs 2 lakh from her on behalf of Kalekar and Ghag in November 2021. A month before that, she had allegedly got Rs 25,000 from her to buy a new mobile phone, said the official.

However, the cops did not help the complainant get back her jewellery after she failed to shell out the remaining bribe amount of Rs 3 lakh. They also did not record her statement before the magistrate and instead submitted the chargesheet, which had errors, he said.

After realising that she had been cheated, the woman submitted an application against the three cops before ACB Mumbai and the Special Sessions Court (ACB), he said.

The court issued orders on January 24 for registration of a case against the three police officials. The woman was called to ACB Mumbai on Tuesday and after recording her complaint, a case has been registered against the trio, the official said.

(with PTI inputs)