Mumbai Crime: ACB Catches 2 Maharashtra State Board Officials Taking ₹20,000 Bribe To Clear ₹3.16 Lakh Electricity Maintenance Bills
Two Maharashtra State Board officials were caught by the ACB in Navi Mumbai while accepting a ₹20,000 bribe to clear pending electricity maintenance bills of ₹3.16 lakh. The contractor had reported a 7% commission demand. After verification, a trap was laid, and one accused was caught red-handed. A case has been registered.
Mumbai Crime: ACB Catches 2 Maharashtra State Board Officials Taking ₹20,000 Bribe To Clear ₹3.16 Lakh Electricity Maintenance Bills | File Pic (Representative Image)
Navi Mumbai: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday caught two officials of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 at their Vashi office.
The accused have been identified as divisional chairman (Class I) Rajendra Manik Ahire and stores department head Manohar Laxman Pawar. The duo had allegedly demanded a 7 per cent commission to clear pending electricity maintenance bills, officials said.
According to the ACB, the complainant is an electrical contractor who had secured a contract for maintenance and repair of electrical equipment at the board’s Vashi office. Bills amounting to Rs 3.16 lakh for the period between November 2025 and February 2026 were pending approval.
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Ahire, through Pawar, allegedly demanded Rs 22,176—7 per cent of the total bill amount—as a bribe to process the payments. After negotiations, the amount was settled at Rs 20,000.
Following the demand, the contractor approached the Navi Mumbai ACB and lodged a complaint on March 25. A verification conducted on April 6 confirmed that Ahire had demanded the bribe and Pawar had facilitated the process.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap on April 7. At around 1 pm, Ahire accepted the bribe amount from the complainant in his cabin, following which the ACB team apprehended him on the spot.
“A trap was successfully executed after due verification of the complaint, and the accused was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount,” said DySP Dharmaraj Sonke.
A case has been registered against both public servants at Vashi police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The operation was carried out under the guidance of senior ACB officials by Police Inspector Kirankumar Wagh and his team.
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