The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a graft case against three persons, including two employees of the marriage registration department, for seeking bribe from a person who was seeking a marriage certificate.
According to ACB, the names of the accused are Dattatray Balasaheb Jadhav, 50, a private agent, Yogeshri Gaikwad, 25, a clerk of the department and Shweta Gopinath Chowdhari, 45, a marriage registrar of the department. The complainant in the case had approached the office located at Old Custom House, when the government employees through Jadhav demanded a bribe of Rs 3,000.
“When Jadhav demanded bribe, the complainant did not wish to pay it. He decided to report it,” said an ACB officer. The complainant approached ACB’s Mumbai unit in Worli on Thursday and submitted a written complaint. The ACB immediately verified the case and laid a trap in which Jadhav was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 2,000. “A case was registered against Gaikwad who prepared the certificate and Chowdhari signed on it, thus encouraging the crime done by Jadhav,” the officer said.
ACB officials have appealed to report graft cases at their office in Worli. To report bribery complaints, the agency has asked people to call on 1064, a toll free number. The ACB has booked the accused under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As social distancing is the need of the hour, the state ACB has decided to step up the vigil through arranging webinars, online essay competitions, recorded skits and roping-in taxi and truck unions. During the recently held vigilance week, the ACB decided to give the message to root out corruption through plays, a powerful medium to impact the public. Under the initiative, police personnel including women staffers, act in the skit. The skit portrays stories that revolve around the corruption and its consequences. Due to Covid-19, the skits have been recorded and broadcasted through various mediums to reach masses.
