Pune zilla parishad member caught accepting Rs1 crore bribe

Gulab Parkhe had filed complaints against various construction projects by the company leading to unexpected delays in the projects,

Pune zilla parishad member Gulab Parkhe was arrested by the Mumbai police after he was caught accepting Rs 1 crore bribe from an employee of the Hiranandani Garden Powai Community Private Limited. Parkhe had initially demanded a bribe of Rs 20 crore but settled for Rs 6 crore instead, according to a statement issued by Mumbai police.

The zilla parishad member had initially demanded a bribe of Rs 20 crore but settled for Rs 6 crore instead, according to a statement issued by Mumbai police. (HT REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO)

Parkhe had filed complaints against various construction projects by the company at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and city's land survey department. The complaints were leading to unexpected delays in the projects, according to the complainant. When the company approached Parkhe, he asked for Rs 20 crore to take back his complaints.

In January this year, the complainant, Arjun Mahadev Dhaytadke, 44, submitted to the police to have paid the first installment of Rs 10 lakh to Parkhe. The second installment of Rs 1 crore was to be paid on Wednesday. However, the complainant's company approached the police before meeting Parkhe and set a trap in order to catch him. A case under Section 384 (extortion) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Parkhe before the police and witnesses, when the complainant went to pay the bribe. Parkhe had called them at a hotel in Mulund West to hand over the money. He was detained and subsequently arrested by Powai police for demanding and accepting the bribe.

Parkhe, according to the complaint, worked with the construction company for 27 years before entering politics. Parkhe, a native of Junnar, is a member of Shiv Sena.