Maharashtra: PCMC standing panel chairman, four others detained in bribery case

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Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation's (PCMC) standing committee chairman and four others, including his aide, were detained on Wednesday in connection with a case of alleged bribery involving Rs 1.18 lakh here in Pune district, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials said.

Those detained were Nitin Landge, a BJP corporator and chairman of the civic body's powerful standing committee, his PA Dnyaneshwar Pingle, Vijay Chavariya, a clerk, Rajendra Shinde, a computer operator, and Arvind Kamble, a peon in the PCMC, the ACB said in a statement.

According to the ACB, the matter relates to a person who runs an advertisement agency. His 28 tenders were passed in the standing committee, a panel which takes key decisions related to the PCMC, the anti-graft agency said.

When he did not get the work order, he approached Landge and his PA Pingle, who allegedly demanded a bribe equal to 3 per cent of the bid amount, that is Rs 10 lakh, the ACB said.

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However, after bargaining, the bribe amount was fixed at Rs 6 lakh, the statement said, adding the advertisement agency owner simultaneously lodged a complaint.

"Today to sign on six files, the accused demanded Rs 1.18 lakh. While accepting the bribe, we caught Chavariya, Shinde, and Kamble red-handed," an official added.

Later, all accused were taken to a police station where the process to register a formal case was underway, the ACB added.

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