Mumbai: Joint sub-registrar, two agents booked by ACB in graft case

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials have booked a joint sub-registrar working with the Registration Office and two private agents in a bribery case. The accused public servant had allegedly demanded bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant in order to get his registration of two rooms done. During the personal and office search of the accused public servant, the ACB officials have recovered cash Rs 1.21 lakh.

Those booked by the ACB have been identified as joint sub-registrar SS Manbhav, who is posted at the Khar office and agents Kalpesh Gole and Sandeep Devdharkar.

According to the ACB, the complainant had two rooms in a chawl at Bandra (W). The said chawl was taken over by a builder in 2006 for redevelopment and after the redevelopment got completed, the complainant was given two rooms in the building by the builder. Documents were submitted at the registration office in order to get the registration of the said rooms done. In order to get the registration work done, Manbhav had allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh from the complainant, through private agent.

The victim who did not wish to pay the bribe, approached the ACB and gave a complaint in this regard on September 8. A verification of the allegations made by the complainant by the ACB had revealed that agents Gole and Devdharkar had asked for Rs 1 lakh bribe from the complainant and later settled the amount for Rs 80000. Based on this, a trap was laid by the ACB on Thursday in which Gole and Devdharkar were caught red-handed accepting bribe from the victim, at the behest of Manbhav, who too was later taken into custody for enquiry.

The accused persons have been booked under sections 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of The Prevention of Corruption Act.