Two forest department officials have been arrested in Maharashtra`s Thane district for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000.
As reported by news agency PTI, the forest officials were allegedly demanding the sum to issue an NOC for a petrol pump, the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) said on Thursday.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) also highlighted that the accused have been identified as forester Vilas Shivaji Sanap and forest guard Rekha Gaikwad, both stationed at the forest department office in Kunda, Mamnoli, under Kalyan taluka, as per PTI.
Forest officials demanded bribe to issue NOC for a petrol pump
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (ACB) Anil Jaykar, the complainant had received a sanction to open a new petrol pump and required a mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from the forest department.
When he applied for the certificate, Sanap allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 to process the request. Following negotiations, the bribe amount was reduced to Rs 25,000. After being alerted, the ACB laid a trap at the forest office on Wednesday and caught Gaikwad while accepting the bribe amount on behalf of the forester.
The officials further asserted that both the accused Sanap and Gaikwad have been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and a further probe is underway, as per PTI.
Thane medical officer arrested for taking a Rs 2,000 bribe for gun licence certificate
A medical officer from Thane district was arrested on Friday for allegedly accepting a Rs 2,000 bribe to issue a medical certificate needed for renewing a gun licence, news agency PTI reported.
The accused has been identified as Dr Anil Patil, who was posted at Murbad Rural Hospital, according to the Thane unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
A man had approached the hospital seeking a medical certificate required for the renewal of his father’s revolver licence.
“An ambulance driver, Mahendra Hindurao, allegedly demanded Rs 3,000 on behalf of the medical officer for issuing the certificate. The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 2,000,” said Inspector Rupali Pol of the ACB.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, following which a trap was laid on the hospital premises on Thursday.
“Our team caught the medical officer red-handed while accepting the bribe amount. The ambulance driver is currently absconding, and a search is underway to trace him,” Pol said.
The 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 Act.
(With inputs from PTI)