Two Municipal Officials Arrested for Accepting Rs 75 Lakh Bribe in Mumbai
Mumbai: In a significant anti-corruption operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested two individuals for demanding a bribe of Rs 2 crore and accepting Rs 75 lakh to avoid taking action against illegal construction.
The arrested individuals are identified as Mandar Ashok Tari, Directing Officer, K East Division, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Andheri East, and Mohammad Shehzada Mohammad Yasin Shah, a 33-year-old property estate agent. Additionally, contractor Pratik Vijay Pise, aged 35, has been implicated in the case.
The plaintiff, who owns a four-story building in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony, Mumbai, had two illegal floors on his property. The accused demanded Rs 2 crore from the plaintiff to overlook these illegal constructions and facilitate the purchase of planned plot numbers 193 and 194. The complainant reported the bribe demand to the ACB on July 31, leading to an investigation and verification of the claims on August 6.
Mandar Tari agreed to accept Rs 75 lakh as the first instalment of the Rs 2 crore bribe. Following this agreement, the ACB organised an immediate operation to apprehend the culprits. On Tari’s instructions, Mohammad Shehzada Mohammad Yasin Shah and Pratik Vijay Pise came to collect the money. Both were caught red-handed while accepting Rs 75 lakh from the complainant. A case has been registered against Mandar Tari as well.
The operation was conducted by Police Inspector Supriya Nete, along with her colleagues, under the guidance of Additional Commissioner of Police Sandeep Diwan and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajendra Sangle. Police Inspector Ganesh Pinguwale is leading the ongoing investigation.
