Rs 1.3 lakh bribe for not demolishing house: 2 Thane civic officials held

Thane: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested two civic officials for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 1.3 lakh from a man to not demolish his house in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday.

The ACB laid a trap on Saturday and caught one of the accused, a beat inspector from the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC), accepting Rs 50,000 from the complainant, the official said.

He said the ACB arrested assistant commissioner Sunil Bhoir (56) and beat inspector Amol Varghade (43) under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The official said the duo had initially demanded Rs 1.5 lakh from the complainant so as not to demolish his house in Bhiwandi, but later, they brought down the amount to Rs 1.3 lakh.

He said the accused beat inspector was caught accepting the first instalment of Rs 50,000 on behalf of the assistant commissioner.