BMC officer caught red handed accepting bribe

MUMBAI: The Assistant Public Relations Officer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Vithal Anandrao Chavan was on Friday trapped by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a Fashion Street shopkeeper in south Mumbai.

ACB sources said Chavan had allegedly demanded Rs 1.5 lakhs from the complainant Ramdev Jaganath Gupta for allowing him to make permanent structure of his shop.

Mr Gupta agreed to pay the amount in installments. Simultaneously he had registered a complaint with the ACB office at Worli.

This morning, when complainant went to pay first the installment of Rs 20,000 to Chavan in his office, situated on ground floor of the BMC building. The ACB sleuths laid a trap and arrested him red-handed.     

There were several complaints against Chavan in the past, ACB officials said.

Chavan, who has been arrested, would be produced in an ACB special court on Saturday, the sources said.