Pune: ACB arrests revenue officer for demanding bribe from land owner

The Pune unit of the Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a talathi (village level revenue officer) from Indapur taluka in Pune district for allegedly demanding and accepting bribe for registration of relinquishment deeds.

The arrested officer has been identified as Pravin Sukhdeo Bhagat (37), who is posted at Saja Kurwali village. Talathis are responsible for maintaining land records of the village. The complainant in the case had approached Bhagat for the registration of relinquishment deeds, which are legal instruments through which one legal heir of a property relinquishes his or her right to another heir.

Officials said that Bhagat was demanding Rs 3,000 each for the registration of six different relinquishment deeds. The complainant, in the meanwhile, approached the ACB. The bribe amount of Rs 18,000 was negotiated down to Rs 12,000. A trap was laid in Baramati and Bhagat was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe on Monday night.