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Two MIDC engineers caught accepting bribe of ₹1 crore
The case came to the fore when a government contractor based in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar decided to blow the whistle on the corruption scandal. The contractor filed a complaint with the Nashik anti-corruption department, prompting action against the accused
Two engineers from the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Ahmednagar sub-division were apprehended by the Nashik anti-corruption department on charges of accepting a bribe of ₹1 crore.
The incident took place on November 3, said officials.
The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) team under the guidance of superintendent of police Sharmistha Walawalkar arrested assistant engineer (class 2) Amit Kishore Gaikwad, a 32-year-old resident of plot No. 2 Anandvihar Nagpur, Ahmednagar, and a native of Chincholi district, Rahuri for allegedly demanding bribe for sanctioning the final pipeline bill worth ₹2,66,99, 244.
The investigation revealed that Gaikwad not only accepted the bribe for personal gain but also on behalf of one Ganesh Wagh, who is a MIDC sub-divisional engineer.
“Gaikwad had demanded a bribe from the contractor and was arrested red-handed while he accepted the money from the contractor in his vehicle near Ahmednagar-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar bypass road on November 3,” said Vishwas Nangre Patil, additional director general of police.
Subsequently, a case has been registered against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and legal proceedings are underway at the MIDC police station.
The case came to the fore when a government contractor based in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar decided to blow the whistle on the corruption scandal. The contractor filed a complaint with the Nashik anti-corruption department, prompting action against the accused.
The root of the misconduct traces back to a project involving the installation of a 100 mm-diameter water channel within the industrial development corporation of the city.
Gaikwad allegedly orchestrated a financial “outward” by acquiring the signature of then sub-divisional engineer Wagh. This deceptive manoeuvre was aimed at securing the payment of ₹2,66,99, 244 for the project. An initial demand of ₹1 cr was made, which ultimately led to the acceptance of the bribe.
The Nashik Anti-Corruption Department set a trap near the Anand Super Market building on the Ahmednagar-Sambhaji Nagar highway’s Shendi Bypass Road from where Gaikwad was arrested.
Simultaneously, Gaikwad made a call to Wagh, communicating the details of the bribe and inquiring about the destination for sending Wagh’s portion.
