The Vasai Tehsildar’s office has once again been hit by a major bribery scandal, highlighting persistent corruption within the revenue department.
₹40 lakh demand negotiated down
The Thane unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a private individual, identified as Anil Prabhakar Chaubal, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹7 lakh on Tuesday afternoon.
The bribe was demanded to prevent the demolition of an unauthorized construction on the complainant's land in Vasai and to process the necessary paperwork for Non-Agricultural (NA) conversion of the land. The initial demand was for ₹40 lakh, which was later negotiated down to ₹7 lakh.
Long history of revenue department corruption
While the private agent, Anil Chaubal, was caught red-handed, the investigation has implicated Vinod Balakrishna Dhotre, the Upper Tehsildar (Non-Agricultural division).
Following the ACB operation, Vinod Dhotre went absconding and is currently unreachable. A case is being registered at the Vasai Police Station, and law enforcement is actively searching for the official.
This incident has sparked significant outrage, as the Vasai revenue department has a long history of corruption. The news reports highlight that despite repeated awareness campaigns by the Thane ACB, corrupt practices continue to plague the office. Previous cases involving Tehsildars and clerks in 2007, 2010, and 2020 have repeatedly damaged the department's credibility.
The ACB has once again urged citizens in the Vasai-Virar region to remain vigilant against corruption and to report such demands directly to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
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