Rs 51 lakh in cash seized from EOW police officer held in Rs 2 crore bribe case

He was produced before a court in Pune on Monday. Deputy Superintendent of Police Dayanand Gawade of the ACB said that the court remanded Chintamani to police custody till November 6 for further investigation.

“We have seized cash of Rs 51 lakh during a search at his house. A probe is underway into his movable and immovable properties,” said Gawade.

Chintamani, aged 35 years old, was attached to the economic offences wing (EOW) of Pimpri Chinchwad police. ACB took action against him following a complaint received from a 48-year-old lawyer. According to the ACB, an offence was registered against the lawyer’s client at Bavdhan police station this year under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 316(2), 316(5), 318(4), 336(2), 338, 339, 3(5). The client’s father was also arrested in this offence, stated a press release.

Chintamani was the investigating officer for this case.

As stated in the ACB’s press release, Chintamani allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from the lawyer for helping his client and submitting a “say” in favour of the bail application filed by the client’s father in the said case.

But later he allegedly increased the bribe amount all of a sudden from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 2 crore. ACB’s press release stated Chintamani demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore for himself and the remaining Rs 1 crore for a senior police inspector of his department. He also allegedly asked the lawyer to pay the first installment of Rs 50 lakh as early as possible.

But the ACB team laid a trap and nabbed Chintamani accepting Rs 46.5 lakh as part of the first installment of Rs 50 lakh from the lawyer at Untadya Maruti Temple in Rasta Peth area of Pune city on Sunday.

A first information report (FIR) was lodged against Chintamani at Samarth police station in Pune city, under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Subsequently, the ACB team raided his house during the probe.