On Thursday, a bribery case involving a senior Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) official came up before a local court, a day after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a Deputy Municipal Commissioner and a private individual during a trap operation at the civic headquarters.
According to the ACB, the official, who headed the civic body’s Encroachment Control and Eviction Department, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs.50 lakh from a real estate developer for removing an encroachment from his property. The complainant stated that he had already paid Rs.10 lakh to another accused. During the handover of the remaining Rs.25 lakh inside the official’s cabin, the ACB conducted a raid and arrested both individuals. The third accused remains absconding.
The ACB sought custody of the accused to continue the investigation, locate the absconding person, verify whether similar bribe demands had been made in other cases, and obtain voice samples. The defence argued that the official had been falsely implicated due to prior anti-encroachment actions and denied any nexus with the other accused.
The court noted that the allegations were serious and could not be treated as an isolated incident. It remarked that the possibility of a larger racket involving other municipal officials and clerks could not be ruled out. The judge also observed that police custody was essential for gathering electronic and voice evidence and probing whether the accused had engaged in similar practices in other eviction matters.
After considering the submissions, the court remanded both accused to police custody. The ACB will continue its investigation, while efforts are on to trace the absconding co-accused.
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