Pune ACB Arrests Three ZP Engineers for Accepting ₹1.74 Lakh Bribe
Pune ACB Arrests Three ZP Engineers for Accepting ₹1.74 Lakh Bribe
PUNE: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Pune region, arrested three engineers from the Pune Zilla Parishad (ZP) on Thursday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹1.74 lakh from a government contractor.
The accused have been identified as Baburao Krushna Pawar (57), an executive engineer (Class 1); Dattatreya Bhagwanrao Pathare (55), a deputy engineer (Class 1); and Anjali Pramod Bagade, a junior engineer (Class 3). All three are associated with the constitution department of the Pune ZP.
According to ACB officials, the complainant, a government contractor, was awarded a work order for the construction of two roads in Daund tehsil. After completing the work, the contractor submitted bills worth ₹40 lakh.
However, the accused engineers allegedly demanded a two percent commission (₹80,000) on the final bill and an additional ₹7,000 per bill for two other bills, totaling ₹2.54 lakh.
The contractor lodged a complaint with the ACB on March 3. Following an investigation, ACB officials confirmed that the accused had negotiated the bribe to ₹1.74 lakh.
On March 13, the ACB laid a trap and caught Pawar and Pathare red-handed while accepting ₹1.42 lakh from the contractor. Bagade was arrested for allegedly instructing the contractor to hand over her share of the bribe to Pathare.
A case has been registered at Bund Garden police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The ACB is continuing its probe into the matter.
