Addl tehsildar caught accepting bribe of Rs 1.50 lakh

Aurangabad, March 23:

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jalna on Monday night arrested additional tehsildar Kishor Avchitrao Deshmukh (50) for accepting Rs 1.50 lakh from a sand contractor. Deshmukh had demanded Rs 3.20 lakh for verification of royalty receipts and giving a positive report to the police station and Rs 1.50 lakh per month for sand transportation. The action caused a stir in the revenue department.

The complainant is an authorized sand contractor. According to information, two Hyva trucks of the sand contractor were caught by the MIDC police. Deshmukh had demanded a bribe of Rs 3.20 lakh for verification of royalty receipts and Rs 1.50 lakh for transporting sand. The complainant then lodged a complaint with the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) at Jalna. After verifying the authenticity, the ACB set a trap near the MTDC rest house, railway station road. On Monday night. the sleuths caught Deshmukh red-handed while accepting the bribe in a private car. Deshmukh is working as additional tehsildar in Aurangabad. A team comprising of deputy superintendent of police (ACB, Jalna) Ravindra Nikalje, PI S Sheikh, Dnyaneshwar Mhaske, Javed Sheikh, Ganesh Cheke participated in the action.

Changed location four times

Upon receiving the complaint, officers sent two panch to verify the bribe demand. Deshmukh demanded a bribe and asked him to bring the money. However, for various reasons, Deshmukh did not come to collect the bribe. After ten days, he called the complainant on Monday night with Rs 1.50 lakh. Deshmukh changed the location and time four times. However, he was finally caught red-handed by the ACB in front of MTDC railway station area at 10.30 pm.

70,000 cash found in house

A case was registered against Deshmukh at Vedantnagar police station. An ACB team raided Deshmukh's house last night and found Rs 70,000 in cash in his house, an ACB source said.

Deshmukh remanded police custody

Meanwhile, sessions Judge S M Bhosale remanded Deshmukh police custody for one day on Tuesday. District government advocate A S Deshpande represented on behalf of the government.