The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a government-appointed liquidator and a private auditor on Friday in a major bribery case after they were caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹30 lakh as the first instalment of a demanded ₹8 crore.
The arrested accused have been identified as Vinod Manikrao Deshmukh (50), a liquidator appointed by the Cooperative Department, and Bhaskar Rajaram Pol (56), a chartered auditor contracted with the government.
According to the information received, the complainant is a 61-year-old businessman. The victim is a new member of Ekta Cooperative Housing Society, Dhanakwadi, along with 32 other new members who had purchased share certificates from original members in 2005.
Due to the membership dispute in 2020, the Cooperative Department appointed an administrator, who later recommended the liquidation of the society.
Later, in 2024, the accused Deshmukh was appointed as the liquidator. The victim approached him for the issuance of share certificates in 2023. Then-administrator Pol cleared the applications of 32 new members but kept the complainant’s application pending.
In September 2025, when the complainant approached accused Pol regarding the pending application, Pol allegedly demanded ₹3 crore for himself and liquidator Deshmukh to issue the share certificates to all new members.
Additionally, he demanded ₹5 crore to ensure the complainant’s preferred bidder gets the society’s land during the future auction process. Accordingly, the total bribe amount was demanded to be ₹8 crore.
Over the issue, the victim approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau on December 5. Based on the complaint, the ACB team verified the documents and laid a trap.
Following the demand, the duo accused approached the victim’s office in Shanivar Peth around 6.55 pm. They allegedly accepted ₹30 lakh from the victim as an advance instalment of the total ₹8 crore. In the presence of an eyewitness, the team immediately apprehended both Deshmukh and Pol.
An official from ACB said the accused have been taken into custody and, regarding the matter, a case has been registered at Vishrambaug Police Station.
Further investigation is underway.
