ACB gets custody of range forest official

A court on Friday remanded Range Forest Officer (RFO) Vishwas Bhadale to four days’ police custody for allegedly accepting a bribe for not arresting one Tehmida Lakhani in a case of  encroachment on forest land. His relative, Vilas Padwal, who was allegedly sent to take the Rs4 lakh bribe was released on bail.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sources said Bhadale owns property worth Rs86 lakh.
About a week ago, Bhadale had arrested builders Bharat Vohra (40) of Siddharth Creations and Taufik Lakhani, a resident of Nana Peth in an alleged land-grabbing case of a forest area in Wanavdi. Lakhani and his wife Tehmida purchased the land in 2003, which they sold to Vohra in 2006, who constructed a building on the land. Lakhani’s son Imran approached the ACB saying Bhadale demanded Rs5 lakh for not arresting his mother. The Lakhanis gave Rs1 lakh on September 26. ACB caught Padwal while accepting the Rs4 lakh bribe on September 27.   

On Friday, police inspector (ACB) Kanchan Jadhav, produced Bhadale and Padwal before the special anti-corruption court.

Additional public prosecutor Pratap Jadhav said, “After Bhadale’s arrest, a search was conducted at his residence. The ACB recovered Rs5.25 lakh cash, gold and silver ornaments worth Rs18.46 lakh, LIC policies with huge premiums and documents of properties amounting to Rs86.45 lakh. Investigations are on to trace these benami properties.”

Inspector Kanchan further added, “Vohra told us that Bhadale had demanded Rs5 lakh from him for helping him get bail, of which he has given Rs50,000 through special public prosecutor (forest department) Abhijit Sakurkar.”

When contacted, Advocate Sakurkar said, “I have not accepted a single paisa from Vohra. I am being falsely implicated in the case.”

RPI unit head murdered
Executive president of Republican Party of India (RPI)’s unit at Talegoan Dabhade on Mumbai-Pune highway, Rahul Prakash Sonawane (32), was murdered by unidentified persons on Thursday night. The incident took place at Sonawane’s shop near the state transport  stand. The police suspect long-standing rivalry as the motive.

 “Sonawane was present at his footwear shop. At 8 pm, some men barged inside his shop and attacked him with sharp weapons. Later, passersby spotted him lying in a pool of blood in the shop. He was shifted to Talegaon General Hospital. The doctors tried to revive him but in vain,” said, assistant police inspector Somnath Jadhav of Talegaon Dabhade police station.

Builder’s house fired at
There was tension in Mahatma Society in Kothrud on Thursday night when three unidentified assailants on a bike fired at the house of a builder.

A few months ago, the suspects fired at the builder’s accountant. However, he escaped. The police suspect that extortion is the motive for the attack.