Even as Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has been taking an aggressive stand against corruption, extortion and illegal collections within the force, a string of fresh scandals has once again raised serious questions over discipline and integrity in the Pune Police Department.
From demanding lakhs to suppress legal action, extorting money through threats of false POCSO cases, accepting bribes in five-star hotels, to forcing citizens into digital payments through intimidation, several police personnel have been caught indulging in blatant corruption despite repeated warnings and strict departmental action.
The alarming trend has exposed how a section of officers continues to be drawn towards easy money and abuse of power, tarnishing the image of the force even as the police leadership attempts a cleanup drive.
Official data shows that 59 policemen were suspended in 2025, while nearly 11 officers faced suspension in April 2026 alone. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has already trapped seven policemen in bribery cases between January and May this year, highlighting the deep-rooted challenge confronting Pune Police.
First Case:
In a latest case, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) trapped a police constable while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹1.5 lakh after he had already taken ₹5 lakh earlier in the same case. The accused policeman has been identified as Ganesh Shahaji Kaspate (40), attached to Koregaon Park Police Station.
According to the information, the complainant’s employer was facing a cheque bounce case in a Hyderabad court, in which a non-bailable warrant had been issued. Kaspate allegedly demanded and accepted ₹5 lakh on March 3, 2026, in exchange for not executing the warrant and helping the accused avoid arrest.
However, on May 1, Kaspate allegedly approached the complainant again, claiming that the warrant had been reissued, and demanded another ₹2.5 lakh to prevent the arrest. Since the complainant’s employer was unwell, the complainant personally met the constable.
The complainant later approached the ACB on May 5 and lodged a complaint regarding the repeated bribery demand. During verification, officials found that Kaspate had allegedly admitted to earlier accepting ₹5 lakh and negotiated the fresh demand from ₹2 lakh down to ₹1.5 lakh.
Following this, the ACB laid a trap near a paan stall outside Sulax Kalpataru Garden Society on Boat Club Road. On Wednesday afternoon, Kaspate was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting ₹1.5 lakh from the complainant.
Second Case:
In another case, three policemen, including a constable from the Damini Squad, were booked and later suspended for allegedly threatening a college principal with a false case of sexual harassment of a minor student under the POCSO Act to extort money. The principal was allegedly forced to pay ₹7 lakh to avoid false implication. Following a departmental inquiry, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar dismissed the trio.
The accused were identified as woman constable Sonali Hinge (attached to Damini Squad/Shivajinagar Police Station), sub-inspector Ajit Trimbak Bade (Cyber Police Station), and constable Sudam Tayade (Shivajinagar Police Station).
The case came to light after the minor girl, who had initially approached the police for help with college admission, informed her parents.
Third Case:
In another case, Assistant Police Inspector Vaishali Totewar, attached to the Economic Offences Wing, was suspended and her relief order was also cancelled after she was caught red-handed by the ACB in a ₹30 lakh bribery case.
In this case, she had allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹30 lakh. After initially accepting ₹2 lakh from the complainant, the ACB laid a trap and caught her while accepting the remaining ₹28 lakh. The action took place at a five-star hotel in the Bund Garden area of Pune.
Fourth Case:
Meanwhile, Police Sub-Inspector Manoj Barure was suspended earlier this week. Barure, attached to Lohegaon Police Station, was caught accepting a bribe of ₹80,000 from the family of a 17-year-old boy against whom a non-cognisable offence had been registered. The ACB trapped Barure while he was accepting the bribe.
Considering the gravity of the misconduct and its potential to tarnish the image of the police department, Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil ordered Barure’s suspension.
Fifth Case:
Earlier this year, three police constables posted at Wagholi Police Station --constable Kiran Abdagire, police constable Ganesh Khade, and Kiran Kamble -- were suspended after it was found that, without following legal procedure, they took a 24-year-old IT professional to the police station. There, the head constable allegedly joined them in threatening the victim. Under pressure, the victim was allegedly forced to transfer ₹10,000 through a digital payment QR code. Following the complaint, an internal inquiry was conducted, and the three policemen were later suspended.
Moreover, two traffic police officers were suspended after a video showed them allegedly accepting money for traffic violations into personal bank accounts instead of issuing official e-challans.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior ACB official told The Free Press Journal that, so far, seven police officials from Pune have been caught red-handed while accepting bribes, and cases have been registered against them at the concerned police stations.
Suspended Policemen (Year-wise)
2022 - 53
2023 - 65
2024 - 52
2025 - 59
2026 - 11 (so far)
Policemen Dismissed (Year-wise)
2022 - 5
2023 - 3
2024 - 14
2025 - 2
