Mumbai: Govt Official Caught By ACB In Graft Case

The Mumbai Unit of Anti-corruption Bureau has nabbed an official of Worli Dairy in a graft case.

The accused public servant has been identified as Mahesh Sapkale (52), a Head Clerk at the Dairy Development Maharashtra State Mumbai (Worli Dairy) and presently working as a Coordinating Officer Mumbai North East Lok Sabha Ghatkopar (W) Assembly Constituency 169.

According to the ACB, the complainant in the case is a junior auditor and assistant accountant in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation F/South ward. In view of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, he was mandated to work in 169 Ghatkopar (W) assembly constituencies under 28 Mumbai North East Lok Sabha in one window scheme.

"There, as a reward for the work done during the election period, some employees were to receive an honorarium equal to their basic salary from the government. Public servant Mahesh Sapkale, Chief Clerk/Head Clerk Commissioner Dairy Development Maharashtra State Mumbai (Worli Dairy) who is currently Coordinating Officer Election Commission 169 Ghatkopar allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 from the complainant to disburse the said honorarium," the ACB said in a statement.

Since the complainant did not want to bribe the public servant, he visited the ACB office and filed a complaint. Accordingly, during a verification conducted by the ACB into the allegations made by the complainant revealed that Sapkale had demanded bribe from the complainant. Accordingly, on Saturday, during the entrapment operation Sapkale was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe after which a case has been registered against him under the relevant section of the Prevention of Corruption Act.