A revenue department official was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, officials said on Wednesday, reported the PTI.
The 49-year-old accused was caught in a trap operation conducted by the ACB at the Panvel tehsil office.
According to officials, the complainant and his wife had purchased land at Gavdevi Pada in Panvel and required a mutation entry in the official records. When the complainant approached the circle office for the 7/12 land record entry, the official allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 to complete the process, the news agency reported.
After negotiations, the amount was reportedly reduced to Rs 30,000.
ACB trap operation
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB’s Raigad unit and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the information, officials laid a trap on Tuesday and caught the accused red-handed while accepting Rs 30,000.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police Sarita I S Bhosale, according to the PTI.
Arrest and legal action
Following the trap, the accused official was arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Further investigation is underway to determine whether others were involved in the bribery network.
CIDCO officer held while accepting bribe in Navi Mumbai
Meanwhile, in an another incident, the ACB had earlier this month arrested a senior City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) official and his peon in an alleged bribery case linked to a pending land registration matter, officials said.
The arrests were made by the Navi Mumbai unit of the ACB during a trap operation carried out on May 13.
The prime accused in case has been identified as Ramdas Haribhau Jagtap, who serves as the Chief Land and Survey Officer for the Navi Mumbai International Airport project.
Jagtap, an officer holding the rank of Additional Collector, was arrested along with his Class IV assistant, Haresh Sonawane.
Bribe allegedly sought for registration work
According to ACB officials, the action followed a complaint from a citizen whose registration work was pending under CIDCO’s 22.5 per cent Scheme for project-affected persons.
The scheme provides developed land to individuals whose land was acquired for infrastructure projects.
Investigators alleged that Jagtap demanded a bribe of Rs 22,500 to process the complainant’s pending work.
Officials said that while the alleged demand was made by the senior officer, the cash was accepted by Sonawane on his behalf.
The Navi Mumbai ACB team laid a trap at the CIDCO office and detained both accused after the money changed hands.
The bribe amount was reportedly recovered during the operation.
The arrest has created concern within CIDCO, especially because of Jagtap’s senior position and his association with the high-profile Navi Mumbai International Airport project.
Meanwhile, a video related to the trap operation has surfaced online and is being widely circulated on social media.
(with PTI inputs)