Thane medical officer held for taking Rs 2,000-bribe for gun licence certificate

A medical officer from Thane district was arrested on Friday for allegedly accepting a Rs 2000bribe to issue a medical certificate needed for renewing a gun licence news agency PTI reportedThe accused has been identified as Dr Anil Patil who was posted at Murbad Rural Hospital according to the Thane unit of the AntiCorruption Bureau ACBA man had approached the hospital seeking a medical certificate required for the renewal of his fatherrsquos revolver licenceldquoAn ambulance driver Mahendra Hindurao allegedly demanded Rs 3000 on behalf of the medical officer for issuing the certificate The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 2000rdquo said Inspector Rupali Pol of the ACBUnwilling to pay the bribe the complainant approached the ACB following which a trap was laid on the hospital premises on ThursdayldquoOur team caught the medical officer redhanded while accepting the bribe amount The ambulance driver is currently absconding and a search is underway to trace himrdquo Pol saidThe ACB has launched an investigation to ascertain whether more persons are involved and to verify if similar illegal demands were made to other applicants Patil has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption ActSSC board official held in Vashi for accepting Rs 20000bribeA senior official of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Educationrsquos Mumbai Divisional Board in Vashi was caught redhanded by the anticorruption bureau ACB while allegedly accepting a bribe on TuesdayThe complainant an electrical contractor had been awarded a oneyear contract for the maintenance and repair of office electrical equipment at the boardrsquos Vashi office in Navi Mumbai effective from September 1 2025 to August 31 2026Under the agreement the contractor was to be paid Rs 26400 per month along with 18 per cent GST taking the total monthly payment to Rs 31152 A formal work order had been issued accordinglyThe contractor submitted monthly tax invoices of Rs 31152 for the period between November 2025 and February 2026 to the divisional board office in Vashi for approval and payment processingAllegations of Bribe DemandAccording to the complaint Rajendra Manik Ahire Divisional Head Class I officer allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 22176mdashapproximately seven per cent of the total bill amount of Rs 316800mdashfor clearing the dues The demand was reportedly made through Manohar Laxman Pawar the Bhandar Branch HeadFollowing this the contractor approached the ACBrsquos Navi Mumbai unit and filed a formal complaint on March 25 2026Verification Confirms DemandDuring a verification exercise conducted by the ACB on April 6 2026 officials confirmed that Ahire had demanded a reduced bribe amount of Rs 20000 Investigators also found that Pawar had allegedly abetted and encouraged the demandACB Trap Operation and ArrestActing on the complaint the ACB laid a trap on April 7 2026 During the operation Ahire allegedly accepted Rs 20000 from the complainant inside his office cabinHe was immediately apprehended by the trap team at around 1 pm and taken into custodyCase to Be Registered Under Prevention of Corruption ActOfficials said the trap panchnama process is currently underway A case is being registered against both Ahire and Pawar under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988Further investigation into the matter is ongoingWith PTI inputs