Daijiworld Media Network - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jun 6: In a dramatic anti-corruption operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an assistant police inspector and a police constable red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000, the first instalment of a demanded Rs 50,000, from a college student in exchange for not registering a criminal case against him.
The accused have been identified as Sanjay Nagusing Bahure (43), Assistant Police Inspector attached to Mukundwadi Police Station, and Gokul Anilrao Khatavkar (43), a police constable.
According to the ACB, the complainant is a 22-year-old college student against whom a complaint had earlier been lodged at Mukundwadi Police Station following a dispute involving a young woman. However, the matter was subsequently resolved amicably between the two parties.
Despite the settlement, the accused officers allegedly threatened the student with criminal action and warned that they would "ruin his future" by registering a case against him unless he paid a bribe of Rs 50,000.
Unable to bear the alleged harassment, the student approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau and lodged a complaint.
Acting on the complaint, a team led by Police Inspector Santosh Tigote laid a trap on Friday evening under the directions of ACB Superintendent Madhuri Kangane and Additional Superintendent Shashikant Singare.
During the verification process, investigators found that Constable Khatavkar had allegedly demanded the bribe on the instructions of API Bahure.
According to officials, a unique code signal had been agreed upon for the transaction. After receiving the first instalment of Rs 10,000 inside the premises of Mukundwadi Police Station, Khatavkar was to step outside and raise his hands while pretending to yawn as a signal that the money had been received.
ACB personnel in plain clothes were stationed outside the police station. As soon as Khatavkar accepted the cash and came out giving the pre-arranged signal, the waiting team swooped in and apprehended both accused on the spot.
The operation created a stir within the city police force, as the two officers were arrested while allegedly engaging in corrupt practices inside a police station.
Further investigation in the case is being carried out by Police Inspector Valmik Kore.