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Saswad forest guard in Pune held for accepting bribe from farmer

According to ACB, the accused, Govind allegedly sought Rs 2 lakh from the farmer who had dug a hole in the forest land for his cattle.

Over a few days, the boy transferred Rs 17,000 through UPI. (Representational Image)

A forest guard attached to the Saswad Division in Pune district was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a farmer.

According to ACB officials, the accused, Govind Rameshwar Nirde, 32, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from the farmer who had dug a hole in the forest land for his cattle.

Though the farmer filled the hole following objections from the forest department, Nirde sought the bribe for not lodging an offence against him, said a statement by the ACB on Friday.

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Based on the farmer’s complaint on Thursday, the ACB launched an investigation and confirmed that Nirde had demanded Rs 2 lakh from the complainant and after negotiations, he agreed for a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.

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The officials laid a trap at a sugarcane juice center at Veer Phata in Saswad and nabbed Nirde while accepting the cash from the farmer on Friday.

A First Information Report (FIR) was filed against Nirde at the Saswad police station. Deputy Superintendent of Police Bharati More is investigating the case.

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