Gujarat cop ‘demands bribe from bootlegger’, goes on the run after ACB lays trap to nab him

The ACB said it booked unarmed constable Rajneesh Hari Shrimali, posted at Chandkheda police station, and a private person named Mitul alias Montu Raju Gohil, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It said they nabbed Gohil red-handed while Shrimali allegedly fled the scene.

In its statement on Thursday, the ACB said that the complainant in the corruption case, termed “an alert citizen” who is a “wanted” bootlegger, filed a complaint with the agency that Constable Shrimali had demanded a bribe of Rs 5.30 lakh in lieu of not invoking PASA against him.

The Gujarat Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA), 1985, provides for preventive detention of “bootleggers, dangerous persons, drug offenders, immoral traffic offenders, and property grabbers for preventing their anti-social and dangerous activities prejudicial to the maintenance of public order.”

The accused constable had called the complainant on April 2 to hand over the bribe amount, which had, by this time, been reduced to Rs 2 lakh. An ACB team led by Inspector RI Parmar set up a trap in the open space opposite Kanha restaurant in the Chandkheda area of the city.

However, middleman Gohil went to receive the amount allegedly on behalf of constable Shrimali. The ACB team nabbed him red-handed, accepting the bribe.

According to the ACB statement, constable Shrimali, who got a whiff of the trap, fled the spot. He is currently absconding from the ACB while further investigation is underway in the case.