Jalgaon: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jalgaon arrested Yogesh Abhimanyu Ahire, a Branch Engineer with the Public Works Department (PWD), while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh for clearing pending payments related to a cement road construction project in the city. Following his arrest, the court remanded him to two days of police custody. The incident has created a major stir within the Public Works Department.
According to officials, the case is linked to a cement-concrete road project in Ward No. 14 at Vinoba Nagar in Jalgaon city, sanctioned in 2024 at a cost of ₹80.39 lakh. The work was reportedly completed within the stipulated period in 2025. However, due to a shortage of funds, only partial payments were released by the department.
Out of the total project amount, the complainant initially received nearly ₹42 lakh in October 2025, while an amount of ₹38.49 lakh remained pending. When the complainant approached engineer Yogesh Ahire regarding clearance of the remaining bill, Ahire allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹17 lakh in exchange for processing the payment.
During discussions, the alleged bribe amount was later settled at ₹15 lakh. According to the complaint, ₹7.50 lakh was allegedly meant for Ahire, while the remaining amount was allegedly to be distributed among senior officials. The payment was reportedly planned in two instalments, with ₹5 lakh to be paid first and the remaining ₹10 lakh after completion of the bill approval process.
On Saturday, acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap operation. In the presence of official witnesses, Ahire allegedly instructed the complainant to keep the cash under the front seat of his blue Baleno car. ACB officials then caught him red-handed while allegedly accepting the bribe amount.
During the investigation, Ahire allegedly claimed that a portion of the money was to be paid to the son of a city corporator. Following these claims, discussions have intensified within municipal circles regarding possible involvement of others in the case. Since a part of the alleged bribe amount was reportedly meant for senior officials, further inquiry is likely to expand.
The operation was carried out by Police Inspectors Reshma Avtare and Hemant Nagare under the guidance of Anti-Corruption Bureau Deputy Superintendent of Police Yogesh Thakur.
