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Mumbai sub-registrar booked, cooperatives officer arrested for demanding bribe
The Mumbai anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has arrested a cooperatives department official for allegedly accepting a ₹1 lakh bribe from a Khar resident who had sought action against the committee members of his cooperative housing society for alleged irregularities committed by them
The Mumbai anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has arrested a cooperatives department official for allegedly accepting a ₹1 lakh bribe from a Khar resident who had sought action against the committee members of his cooperative housing society for alleged irregularities committed by them.
ACB also apprehended a sub-registrar on bribery charges, but he was not arrested as he tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be admitted to hospital.
The complainant, a 61-year-old Khar resident, had approached the office of the deputy registrar of cooperative societies at Bandra (West), seeking action against committee members and the secretary of his society. He alleged that they did not maintain records of the society’s general body meetings or the audit reports, and also complained of various other irregularities.
According to the ACB, the accused cooperative official Ganesh Sukhram Rathod, 34, demanded ₹3 lakh to get an administrator appointed for the society and ensure action against the erring society members.
The complainant verified the bribe demand from Gautam Shankar Vardhan, 39, the sub-registrar, who also asked him to fulfil the (bribe) demand for action.
The complainant then approached the ACB Mumbai office on February 10 and officers laid a trap on Thursday and arrested Rathod while he was accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh.
“Sub-registrar Vardhan too was arrested, but he was sent for treatment, as he tested positive for Covid-19. Action will be taken against him once he is free from the infection,” said an ACB officer.
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