ACB arrests PSI for taking Rs 50K bribe

Aurangabad, Oct 22:

Anti-corruption bureau on Wednesday night arrested a PSI of the City Chowk police station red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant trader for not making him the co-accused in an illegal Gutkha transportation case. The PSI has been identified as Santosh Ramdas Pate.

ACP, DySP, Brahmdev Gawade said, City Chowk police and Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), a few days back had seized banned Guthkha and scented tobacco products being transported illegally in a vehicle. The driver during interrogation told the police that he brought the Gutkha and tobacco from the complainant trader. A case was registered at City Chowk police station and PSI Santosh Pate was further investigating the case.

PSI Pate demanded Rs 50,000 to the complainant trader for not making him the co-accused in the case and not taking him into the police custody. As he was not willing to pay the bribe, he lodged a complaint at the Anti-corruption Bureau.

Under the guidance of SP, Dr Rahul Khade, additional SP Anita Jamadar and Dy.SP Brahmdev Gawade, the team including PI Sandeep Rajput and others investigated the facts. Accordingly, the complainant trader told Pate that he will pay the said amount on Wednesday night and a trap was laid outside the City Chowk police station. The ACB team arrested Pate red-handed while accepting bribe of Rs 50,000. A case has been registered at the City Chowk police station.

PSI, Santosh Pate’s father retired as ASI from the police force recently and he was known as an honest officer in the department. Santosh Pate joined the city police force as constable but later become PSI through the state service commission examination. He also runs an educational institute at his native village in Khuldabad tehsil and runs an English medium school there.