Former talati, son arrested for taking Rs 3 lakh bribe

VADODARA: A former talati and his son were arrested by anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Friday for accepting a bribe of Rs 3 lakh. The accused were identified as Kanti Patel and his son Nimesh Patel. The accused were arrested after they sought the bribe from Babu Patel a resident of Varnama.
Babu was the custodian of 3.12 acres of land originally owned by Jagdish Upadhyay.According to ACB, Upadhyay, who was married, had an illicit affair with Parul Patel who however, claims to be his wife. After the Upadhyay's death, Parul sold the land to a third party by forging documents.
In 2013, the land was acquired by railways. The sub divisional magistrate was to offer compensation to the land owner and Parul was entitled to receive the amount.
Upon finding about the compensation, Babu filed a civil suit challenging Parul's ownership."Babu consulted Kanti to seek advice on the matter. Kanti who agreed to help with the compensation process demanded Rs three lakh. He asked Babu to hand over the money to his son Nimesh. After the phone call, he immediately lodged a complaint with us," said ACB police inspector Kalpesh Solanki.