Police constable booked for demanding bribe of ₹20L

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered a case against a constable for demanding a bribe of ?20 lakh from a builder in south Mumbai for police protection.

MUMBAI: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday registered a case against constable Mangesh Bhopale, 40, attached to the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg (RAK) police station for allegedly demanding ₹20 lakh from a south Mumbai builder who has undertaken a project in Wadala.

HT Image

According to ACB officials, the constable demanded the bribe in the name of a senior inspector of the police station.

The ACB officials said they were approached by Firoz Usman Tinwala, a builder and a resident of Peddar Road, who owns a construction firm, Mayur Builders and Developers. Tinwala’s firm had undertaken a slum rehabilitation scheme (SRA) at RAK Marg in Wadala West.

“There were some illegal residents staying in the project who the police officers had learnt were staffers who worked at the project and were given the space by Tinwala. A Tehsildar with the Slum Rehabilitation Authority had issued an eviction order against the encroachers and had asked the local police to provide protection for the same,” said an ACB official.

Tinwala had met the senior police inspector of the RAK Marg police station, Mahadeo Nimbalkar, and explained the ground situation to him.

“Later, on July 5, Tinwala received a call from Bhopale, demanding ₹20 lakh for delaying police protection for the eviction drive. Bhopale said he would convince other officers, including senior inspectors if he paid the money. As Tinwala was not keen to pay him, he approached the ACB and reported the matter. After confirming the demands during the preliminary enquiry, the ACB registered an offence against Bhopale under section 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,” said an ACB official.

The police said prima facie they do not suspect the role of the senior inspector Nimbalkar in the demand, and it was Bhopale who was recently given a specific posting and wanted to impress upon his seniors, and therefore demanded the bribe money and wanted to surprise the senior inspector with his capability to deal with such matters,” said a ACB officer.

He added that the SRA Tehsildar has already paid the police protection charges and the senior inspector has accepted the charges and was thus bound to provide police protection for the eviction drive.