Even as the Gujarat Police are conducting a statewide drive to “punish anti-social elements”, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday said it booked a police constable for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5.3 lakh in lieu of not invoking the PASA Act against a man declared “wanted” in a liquor prohibition case.
The ACB on Thursday said it booked constable Rajneesh Hari Shrimali posted at Chandkheda police station, and a private person named Mitul alias Montu Raju Gohil under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Gohil was allegedly “caught red-handed” accepting the bribe, which had been “reduced to Rs 2 lakh”, while Shrimali is allegedly absconding.
In its statement on Thursday, the ACB said that the complainant in the corruption case, who is a “wanted” bootlegger, filed a complaint with the agency that Shrimali had demanded a bribe of Rs 5.30 lakh in lieu of not invoking the Prevention of Anti-social Activities (PASA) Act against him.
The accused constable had called the complainant on April 2 to hand over the bribe amount, which had been reduced to Rs 2 lakh. An ACB team led by Inspector RI Parmar set a trap in the open space opposite Kanha restaurant in the Chandkheda area of the city.
However, it was the middleman Gohil who went to receive the amount, allegedly on behalf of constable Shrimali. The ACB team allegedly nabbed him from there.
Meanwhile, the ACB statement said that Constable Shrimali, “suspecting a trap”, fled, and is currently absconding from the ACB. Further investigation is underway.
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