The Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau on Wednesday arrested a senior inspector and a sub-inspector attached to Kurar police station for allegedly accepting a Rs 1 lakh bribe to settle two complaints.
The arrested officers have been identified as Senior Inspector Sanjiv Tawade and Sub-Inspector Dyaneshwar Govindrao Junne. According to ACB officials, the two had allegedly demanded Rs 3 lakh from a resident of Malad in exchange for not registering an FIR against him. The complainant had already paid Rs 2 lakh, and the remaining Rs 1 lakh was allegedly being collected when the trap was laid.
Officials said a written complaint had been filed at Kurar police station accusing the complainant of financial cheating. Separately, the complainant’s brother had given an oral complaint on January 22 alleging sexual abuse. The complainant was summoned to the police station in connection with these allegations.
During this period, Senior Inspector Tawade allegedly demanded Rs 3 lakh to avoid taking action. The complainant paid Rs 2 lakh and was allowed to leave, officials said. On February 2, Sub-Inspector Junne allegedly contacted the complainant and demanded the remaining Rs 1 lakh to settle both matters.
Unwilling to pay any more, the complainant approached the ACB on February 3 and lodged a complaint. The allegations were verified on February 4 and again on February 16 in the presence of independent witnesses, an official said.
On the evening of February 18, a trap was laid at Kurar police station. The ACB team caught Junne allegedly accepting the remaining Rs 1 lakh and arrested him on the spot, a senior IPS officer said.
Following the arrest, searches were conducted at Tawade’s office and vehicle, during which officials recovered Rs 6.34 lakh in cash. Two mobile phones belonging to Tawade were seized, while Junne’s mobile phone was also taken into custody. Further searches are expected at their residences. Both officers were arrested and will be produced before a court on Thursday.
However, this is not the first time Tawade has faced allegations. He joined the police force in 1992 and has served at several police stations in Mumbai, including Dahisar and Kandivali, as well as in the traffic department. In 2020, while posted at Dahisar police station, he was named in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation related to an alleged land grab.
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In that case, the CBI had registered an FIR against Tawade and five others – including the then senior inspector, an ACP, an API and two sub-inspectors – under charges of criminal conspiracy and fabricating false evidence against a developer. Tawade was suspended and later reinstated.
Recent ACB actions
Last week, the ACB arrested a clerk of the Food and Drug Administration, Rajendra Dherange, for allegedly accepting a Rs 35,000 bribe at Mantralaya on February 12. Apart from the trap amount, officials recovered Rs 43,000 in unaccounted cash from him.
In September last year, Senior Inspector Chandrakant Sarode and Sub-Inspector Rahul Waghmode of Wadala TT police station were arrested for allegedly accepting bribes. Sarode was caught taking Rs 2 lakh, while Waghmode allegedly accepted Rs 30,000. In that case, the complainant had approached the ACB after the officers allegedly demanded money to avoid naming his daughter in an FIR and to refrain from taking action against a rival group.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
