ACB arrests forest ranger for accepting bribe

Palghar's ACB arrested two forest officials for allegedly demanding ₹1.30 lakh from a landowner for permission to build additional doors.

MUMBAI: Palghar’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a forest ranger and a forest security officer of the Vasai Forest department for allegedly demanding ₹1.30 lakh from a landowner seeking permission to put up additional doors for his chawl that would face the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway.

ACB arrests forest ranger for accepting bribe

According to ACB officers, the accused, identified as Pannalal Beldar, 35, and Pankaj Saner, 45, were posted at the forest office in Gokhiware, Vasai East. They were arrested on Saturday after a complaint was filed by the 54-year-old landowner at the Waliv police station.

The complainant told the police that he owned a chawl in Vasai East near the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. His chawl has three entrances which are all facing away from the Highway. On September 15, he decided to construct an entrance facing the highway. He already started the construction works when Beldar summoned him to the forest range office. The accused informed him that the chawl falls under the forest land, and additionally constructing doors in the direction of the highway would be a violation of the forest department laws, so he must demolish the entrances.

When the complainant pleaded to spare him, Beldar demanded ₹1.30 lakhs from him till September 15. The landowner was able to give Beldar and Saner ₹90,000 on September 15. He asked them for time till Saturday to pay the rest of the amount. Then he approached the Waliv police and registered a complaint against the two. After the Palghar ACB were informed about the case, they laid a trap to catch the forest rangers red-handed accepting ₹40,000 on Saturday.

A police officer from the Palghar ACB said, “We have arrested the two and will produce them before the court for accepting bribe.”