Thane, September 12, 2026: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a revenue assistant and a peon from the Thane Collector’s Office red-handed on Friday evening while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000. The bribe was demanded to update and activate the address of an 'Aaple Sarkar' Seva Kendra on the official government portal.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Revenue Assistant Ganesh Balkrishna More (52) and Peon Khalid Gulab Shaikh (53).
Address Update Dispute
According to officials, the complainant’s wife had been operating an 'Aaple Sarkar' Seva Kendra at the Sona Rivet building in Mira Road East since 2017. As the building became dilapidated, the complainant relocated the centre to Shop No. 7 in Rabia Tower, Mira Road East.
To update the new address on the official portal, the complainant submitted an application to the Setu and Registration Branch at the Thane Collectorate on February 23, 2026. However, the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 to process the request and activate the portal registration.
ACB Verification And Trap
Following a complaint, the ACB conducted a formal verification in the presence of witnesses on September 10, confirming that both More and Shaikh demanded the illegal gratification and expressed readiness to accept it.
On the evening of September 11, the ACB laid a trap near the Jambhali Naka area, where both officials were apprehended while taking the bribe money. Traces of anthracene powder used during the trap operation were detected on the palms and fingers of the accused.
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Case Registered
A case has been registered at the Thane Nagar Police Station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended), and both suspects have been taken into police custody.
The operation was executed by an ACB team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Jaykar, under the guidance of Police Superintendent Shivraj Patil, Additional Superintendent Bhagwat Sonawane, and Additional Superintendent Suhas Shinde.
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