Police Inspector Arun Khanvilkar, arrested by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) last Friday, had asked for Rs 2.5 lakh from a club owner – who had already paid him Rs five lakh.
State Nursing Superintendent Dr Reshma Desai (50) and Vidya Bansode (45), arrested earlier this month accepting
Rs 1.5 lakh from someone who wanted to open a post-graduate institute for nursing. The complainant had paid the duo Rs two lakh earlier – they went to the ACB after Desai asked for more.
In most of these cases, the arrested accused had been getting away with demanding money up to the point where they wanted more. “It doesn’t matter what department they’re in — police, BMC, sales tax, fire department — they all get greedy, and they stretch their victims to the point where they can’t take it any more,” said Ashok Patel.
Patel, president of the Fort Merchant Welfare Association, said the accused officers, regardless of their department, typically make repeated demands for money after the first time they are paid.
He has reportedly helped the ACB execute 53 successful traps. Leading advocate and former public prosecutor Kiran Makasare said that in most of these cases, the officers ask exorbitant sums and the victim tries to bargain.
“No individual likes to get into litigation, but when the amount he is asked to pay is beyond his capacity, he approaches the ACB,” Makasare said.
Nevertheless, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACB) Niket Kaushik said there are still enough cases where the first demand brings the applicant to the ACB. “It is true that in the two recent cases, the complainants approached the ACB only after they were asked for more money, but many times, people approach us after the first time they have been asked to pay a bribe,” Kaushik said.