Deputy registrar arrested in Rs 1.5-lakh bribery case in Jalgaon, sent to 2-day police custody

Nashik: A Jalgaon court on Thursday remanded deputy registrar from the cooperative societies department and his associate, who is not a public servant, to two days of police custody after their arrest by the Jalgaon anti-corruption bureau (ACB) in a Rs 1.5-lakh bribery case on Wednesday.

A senior ACB official said house searches were carried out immediately after their arrests. “While no significant cash or assets were recovered, the deputy registrar’s bank lockers have been sealed and are scheduled to be opened on Friday,” the official said.

A case has been registered against both accused at Zillapeth police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to ACB officials, the case stems from a complaint involving a Jalgaon resident who was under investigation for alleged illegal money lending. When the individual approached the deputy registrar’s office to inquire about the next hearing date, the official allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to ensure that no police case would be registered against him.

Unwilling to pay, the complainant approached the ACB and filed a formal complaint on May 18. During verification, the officials found that the deputy registrar later reduced the bribe demand to Rs 3 lakh and instructed the complainant to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as an initial installment through his private associate on May 20.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and caught the associate red-handed while accepting the Rs 1.5 lakh installment. The deputy registrar was subsequently detained.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of superintendent of police Bharat Tangade (Nashik Range) and deputy superintendent Yogesh Thakur of the Jalgaon ACB. The trap was led by inspectors Reshma Avtare and Hemant Nagare along with their team.