Navi Mumbai: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Navi Mumbai arrested an assistant police inspector (API) and a police constable in Kharghar on Wednesday for accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 out of the Rs 1 lakh initially demanded. The bribe was solicited in connection with a cheating and forgery case to ensure non-objection to the accused’s bail.
The API, identified as Sagar Kumar Takle, 37, and constable Pragynesh Narendra Kothekar, 42, who served as the court clerk, demanded Rs1 lakh from the complainant to ease the proceedings against the complainant's uncle. The uncle had been arrested by the Koparkhairane police in April on charges of cheating and forgery.
“Takle was the investigating officer in the case and demanded the amount to cooperate with the family of the arrested man. The complainant had filed a bail application for his uncle, and the duo demanded money for not objecting to the bail,” an ACB officer said.
After negotiation, the amount was reduced to Rs40,000. The complainant approached the ACB, which verified the claims and set up a trap. Takle instructed Kothekar to meet the complainant in Kharghar to collect the money. The police caught Kothekar red-handed while accepting the bribe, and Takle was subsequently arrested.
