Gujarat ACB files case against municipal officer days after Rajkot fire

ACB found Bhikhabhai Theba’s investments in properties exceeded his known sources of income by 67.27%, drawing attention to a broader corruption

The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a case against Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC)’s deputy fire officer Bhikhabhai Theba for alleged disproportionate assets following a probe after the fire at a gaming centre on May 25 left 27 people dead.

The fire at Rajkot gaming centre on May 25 drew attention to broader corruption. (HT PHOTO)

Welding work at the gaming centre, which had just one entry-exit point that trapped the people inside, without a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department is believed to have caused the fire.

The irregularities prompted an investigation that showed Theba allegedly misused his position to accumulate wealth through corrupt means. ACB found his investments in properties exceeded his known sources of income by 67.27%, drawing attention to a broader corruption within local government offices.

ACB booked Theba days after Rajya Sabha member Ram Mokariya told a Gujarati newspaper that he bribed the RMC official ₹70,000 for an NOC for a building proposal on a 27,000 square yard plot, which was converted from non-agricultural to residential/commercial use.

Mokariya accused RMC and the district collector’s office of corruption and harassment. He claimed bureaucrats tried to block his ₹200 crore land development project. Mokariya said despite paying the bribe, his project was not approved. He claimed Theba returned his ₹70,000 through a third party after he became a Rajya Sabha member.