ACB books Versova inspector in Rs1.20 lakh graft case

A police inspector attached to the Versova police station in Andheri (West) was on Tuesday booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs1.20 lakh from a building contractor. The complainant has alleged that inspector Surendra Morye, 51, demanded money claiming that he (the contractor) was undertaking illegal construction and, hence, must deposit the money to not face any interference.

Morye was arrested in a similar case by the ACB in 2007, but was acquitted in 2011, said ACB officers.

Additional commissioner of police, ACB, Vishwas Nangre Patil said, "The complainant was undertaking work in Versova village in Andheri (West). Morye summoned him and asked him to cough up Rs1.20 lakh."

He gave Rs50,000 as first installment and then approached the ACB. Though ACB laid a trap when the complainant went with the second installment, it failed as the officer was alerted beforehand.

"We have booked Morye under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. We have sent the audio recordings of the complainant and the inspector to a forensic lab for verification. Once those are verified, Morye will be arrested," said Patil.