Mumbai: Special Corruption Court Acquits Junior Engineer In Bribery Case Over Hotel Repairs

Mumbai: A special corruption court in Mumbai has acquitted junior engineer Rahul Lokhande, who was accused of demanding a bribe to permit repairs to a hotel’s restroom.

About The Case

The case stemmed from a complaint filed on October 7, 2017, with the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Worli, by a hotelier who owns Dragon Fruit Fort in Bhandup.

The hotelier alleged that after repairing a restroom and fixing wall tiles, a complaint by Deepak Dalvi led to its demolition. Seeking repair permission, the hotelier met Lokhande at the ‘S’ Ward office on October 6, 2017. The complainant claimed Lokhande demanded Rs30,000 for repair approval, later increasing it to Rs35,000 over a phone call on October 7.

A trap was set on October 10, but Lokhande did not accept any money, resulting in charges only for demanding a bribe. During the trial, the hotelier admitted another junior engineer handled the illegal construction complaint, not Lokhande, placing the matter outside Lokhande’s jurisdiction.

The court noted the hotelier’s belief that Lokhande caused the demolition, stating, “the contention of the accused that he is falsely implicated to take revenge against him cannot be ruled out.” It further held, “The prosecution has failed to prove the demand of bribe for a particular work. Only the transcript... cannot be relied upon without corroboration,” leading to Lokhande’s acquittal.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/

Published on: Sunday, October 05, 2025, 11:12 AM IST