ACB files 2,000-page chargesheet against PWD engineer

Over two years after PWD executive engineer Satish Chikhalikar was trapped accepting a bribe of Rs22,000 to sanction a cheque regarding road work through branch engineer Jagdish Wagh, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed 2,000-page charge sheet in a special court.

Chikhalikar was arrested by the ACB in May 2013 for accepting the bribe to sanction a cheque of Rs3,69000 for the work of a road between Rayate and Kakadwalan, done by a contractor. The bribe was accepted through branch engineer Jagdish Wagh on April 30, 2013, at 2pm at the PWD office in Nashik. ACB officials laid a trap and caught them red-handed. The ACB had registered offences against Chikhalikar in Sarkarwada police station under under sections 7,12,13 (1) (d) and 13 (2) of Prevention of Anti Corruption Act, 1988.

It was found that Chikhalikar had amassed wealth and assets worth about Rs15 crore. This disproportionate wealth and assets amounted to 383% more than his official known income.

During the probe and search, the ACB had raided his official residence, lockers at his houses and found wealth in the form of cash, gold and silver items. Properties like farm land, plots, commercial places and houses as well as fixed deposits and shares in his as well as his wife Swati Chikhalikar's name were also detected.