Electricity department engineer caught taking Rs 2-lakh bribe in Palghar

A 42-year-old junior engineer from state-run power distributor Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) was arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in Maharashtra`s Palghar district, an officer from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said on Friday.

According to news agency PTI, Atul Ashok Awhad, from Ashagad, under the Dahanu sub-division of MSEDCL, had demanded Rs 3 lakh to spare a cattle shed owner from action for stealing electricity.

The junior engineer brought down the bribe amount to Rs 2 lakh after negotiations, the officer said.

Acting on a complaint, the ACB laid a trap and nabbed Awhad allegedly while he was accepting the bribe on Thursday, ACB`s Deputy Superintendent of Police Harshal Chavan said. The Dahanu Police have booked Awhad under the Prevention of Corruption Act, PTI reported.

CBI nabs Delhi cop for taking Rs 2.5-lakh bribe from Navi Mumbai businessman

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh through hawala operators for clearing the name of a Navi Mumbai-based tour operator from a case, officers said Thursday.

According to news agency PTI, CBI arrested Rahul Malik, posted at Cyber Police Station in the Rohini area of the national capital, for allegedly accepting an installment of Rs 2.5 lakh out of the total Rs 14 lakh demanded from the businessman through “layers of multiple hawala operators” based in Mumbai, Tamil Nadu`s Erode, and Delhi.

The businessman had complaint to the CBI against Malik.

According to him, he had business relations with a private company related to Cash Management System, but later found that the login credentials for virtual wallets provided to him was created under fake name, PTI reported.

“The matter related to private company was under investigation in FIR (first information report) lodged at the Cyber Police Station, Rohini, Delhi,” a CBI Spokesperson said in a statement.

Malik, who was investigating the case, had allegedly issued notice to businessman`s brother-in-law who joined investigation and when they appeared before him for investigation, the accused threatened to arrest them, the statement said.

“It is further alleged that on March 7, 2025, the accused SI/IO [Malik] of the case visited at residence of complainant at Navi Mumbai and demanded a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to clear his and his brother-in-law`s name from the case or else threatened that they would be arrested,” the statement added.

Next day, Malik allegedly asked the businessman to meet him at a hotel on Ghodbunder Road, Thane, where he allegedly demanded bribe by typing amount of Rs 16 lakh on his mobile and threatened him with consequences if the payment was not made.

The threats allegedly continued when the businessman visited Rohini Police Station with his lawyer.

Malik agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 14 lakh after negotiations and allegedly provided a number of a hawala operator in Mumbai along with the details of the hawala token number where the alleged bribe was to be paid.

“Accordingly, on March 19, 2025, a successful trap was laid by CBI in which hawala operator accepted bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh at Mumbai on the behalf of public servants as a part bribe payment through layers of multiple hawala operators based in Mumbai, Erode (TN) and New Delhi,” the CBI statement said.

Malik will be taken to Mumbai to face the probe. 

(With PTI inputs)