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Pune, Nov 04: The Pune Anti-Corruption Bureau caught a Police Sub-Inspector attached to the Economic Offences Wing of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 46.50 lakh.
According to the ACB, the complainant is a lawyer who approached them after the accused Chintamani allegedly demanded a Rs 2 crore bribe to help him get the bail for his client’s father by filing a say in the court in an ongoing criminal case registered at Bavdhan police station.
The lawyer’s client and his father were accused in the said case, with the father currently in judicial custody. The investigation of the case was assigned to Chintamani, who allegedly demanded money to provide assistance in the investigation and to help secure bail for the client’s father.
Initially, the officer demanded Rs 2 lakh, but during the verification phase on October 27, he allegedly increased the demand to Rs 2 crore, Rs 1 crore for himself and another Rs 1 crore for his superior officer. It was agreed that the first installment of Rs 50 lakh would be paid soon.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap near Untadya Maruti Temple, Rasta Peth. During the operation, PSI accepted Rs 46.5 lakh out of which Rs 1.5 lakh in genuine currency notes and Rs 45 lakh in dummy notes used for the trap from the complainant and was caught red-handed.
The accused was immediately taken into custody, and the process to register an FIR at Samarth Police Station, Pune City, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, is underway.
During the search, ACB officials seized the bribe amount, two mobile phones, Rs 3,600 in cash, and the officer’s official ID card.
The ACB team also launched a search operation at the officer’s residence, which is currently ongoing.
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