Palghar Gram Panchayat Officer caught taking Rs 20,000 bribe

Palghar, Dec 17 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has apprehended a Class-III Maharashtra government officer in Palghar district for accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a local entrepreneur seeking to establish an agri-tourism venture, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Rajesh Pandharinath Sankhe (52), serves as the Gram Panchayat Officer for the Navapur Gram Panchayat, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Dadaram Karanda of the ACB, Palghar Unit.

The operation to apprehend him was conducted following a complaint by a 32-year-old local entrepreneur seeking to establish an agri-tourism venture, he said.

The complainant had submitted an application to the Navapur Gram Panchayat on October 30 seeking a No Objection Certificate (NOC). The permit was required to facilitate the construction of a floating pool and three guest rooms, as well as to provide food and breakfast services under the state's agri-tourism initiative, said Karanda.

According to the official, Sankhe demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 to issue the necessary NOC for the agri-tourism food house.

The ACB laid a trap and caught the Gram Panchayat Officer while accepting the bribe on Tuesday, said the official, adding he was later placed under arrest. PTI COR RSY