ACB begins enquiry into forest officer’s assets in bribery case

The Mumbai unit of the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has started a Preliminary Enquiry into the assets of Assistant Conservator of Forests, Baliram Kolekar, who was arrested earlier this week for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5

The Mumbai unit of the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has started a Preliminary Enquiry into the assets of Assistant Conservator of Forests, Baliram Kolekar, who was arrested earlier this week for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5.30 lakh.

The Mumbai unit of the Maharashtra ACB has started a preliminary enquiry into the assets of Assistant Conservator of Forests, Baliram Kolekar, who was arrested earlier this week in a bribery case. (HT FILE)

Officials said that based on an extra packet of cash seized from his office, the Enquiry has been started to explore legal grounds for booking him in a disproportionate assets case.

Kolekar (57), a Class I officer with the Forest Department, was allegedly caught red handed by an ACB team while accepting the bribe from his subordinate, a Class II officer in charge of the Tokawade range. A subsequent search of his office had revealed ₹12.46 lakh in cash.

“Based on the seizure of the extra cash, we have started inquiries into Kolekar’s assets. The amount was a significant one and following his arrest, Kolekar was asked to account for the cash that we had found, and was unable to do so. Hence, we have now started a Preliminary Enquiry in which his assets will be evaluated and compared against his earnings over the span of his career as a government servant,” an ACB officer said.

The officer added that the evaluation of all his assets will include cash, jewellery, vehicles and real estate in his as well as his family members’ names. Simultaneously, the ACB will calculate all the income, including salary and benefits that Kolekar has earned. Out of this amount, one-third will be deducted as per the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Act stipulates that while evaluating a suspect’s assets, it should be assumed that one-third of a government servant’s earnings were spent for day to day expenses.

“The total value of Kolekar’s assets will be compared against the total value of his earnings, with expenses deducted. If the value of the assets is more than his income, he will be given ample time to account for the difference. If he is unable to do so, an additional case of disproportionate assets will be filed against him,” the officer said.

The complainant in the case against Kolekar had approached the ACB’s Mumbai Unit on September 6 this year. He had alleged that Kolekar was demanding a total of ₹6.22 lakh in exchange for releasing state-sanctioned funds to his office. After verifying the complainant’s claims, the ACB had set a trap and arrested Kolekar while allegedly accepting ₹5.30 lakh in his office in Naupada, Thane.