A deputy engineer of BMC A ward was caught by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday accepting a bribe of Rs 60,000 from a Colaba resident.
Prakash Shinde deputy engineer of the BMC has been booked under various acts of prevention of corruption act and has been remanded to police custody. Shinde was caught after a owner of a flat who wanted to amalgate two flats filed a complaint with the ACB.
According to the ACB, the complainant who owns two flats in Colaba wanted to carry some renovation work as well amalgate two flats for which he wanted to take prior civic permissions. He applied for the permission in October last year. Deputy engineer of the A ward called complainant and informed that there was no need to take any such permission from the building department and said that he has to pay certain charges and he went on leave.
Shinde arrived from leave in the first week of January this year and send a message to complainant to meet him. When complainant accompanied with his friend met him, Shinde demanded a sum of Rs 70,000 to get the clearance.”said ACB official.
Complainant who did not wish to pay the bribe, approached the ACB and lodged a complaint. On January 11, ACB send a independent witness in front of whom Shinde demanded the bribe amount, when ACB registered the corruption case against Shinde. On Thursday when Shinde accepted Rs 60,000 from complainant in his office, the ACB officials caught him.
