E-Paper
134 private persons held for accepting bribe on behalf of govt officials in past three years
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Pune Range, sustained action against organised bribery during the past three years has revealed a dominating pattern of private persons known as “agents” or “fronts” for accepting money on behalf of government officials
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Pune Range, sustained action against organised bribery during the past three years has revealed a dominating pattern of private persons known as “agents” or “fronts” for accepting money on behalf of government officials. The corrupt government officials posit the private persons as fronts to avoid detection and prosecution for their crimes.
The ACB has nabbed 111 private agents operating as money-accepting fronts of the revenue department and 23 private persons for accepting bribes on behalf of policemen from 2020 to 2022 (till July).
The ACB investigation into organised bribery by government officials from the revenue department and police revealed that the bribe-accepting private persons had attacked the ACB officials when they caught them red-handed accepting the bribe during traps.
A senior official of ACB requesting anonymity, said, “The government officers prefer to keep private persons near their offices so that a bribe amount can be handed over to them without them getting directly involved into acceptance of corruption money which is criminal in nature. Usually, unemployed relatives and someone very close to the officials are assigned the task of bribing money.”
The ACB in its action has also arrested government employees along with private persons during the trap following complete verification of the communication and evidence on record.
According to the ACB, the expression “public servant” has been defined in Section 21 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Besides this, many enactments, both central and state, provide that person appointed, exercising powers or performing functions under them, shall be deemed to be a public servant.
The ACB institutes enquiries into complaints made by the members of the public or received from government officials and Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas relating to bribery, corruption, criminal misconduct, embezzlement of government money and other venal practices by public servants.
Past incidents
April 2022
ACB officials arrested police sub-inspector Vilas Dattatreya Dhotre (35), attached to Baramati police station, and a private person identified as Rishikesh Nandkumar Patange during a trap for accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.
May 15, 2022
ACB officials arrested police inspector Pravin More (50) and assistant sub-inspector Kutubuddin Khan (52), of the Lonavla rural police station, and private person Yasin Shaikh (58) for taking bribes.
Year/Bribe cases
2022 15 cases
2021 53 cases
2020 43 cases
