As epidemic toll gallops, top health officer booked for corruption

According to SP (ACB) R.G. Kadam, the driver Vijay Baghel was to pay a bribe to avoid a transfer to Chandrapur. Thombre asked for Rs 15,000 to cancel the transfer. Baghel agreed and paid Rs 10,000 on July 4.

Later, he approached the ACB which laid a trap today — when the balance was to be paid — and caught Thombre taking the money.

The ACB team, led by SP Kadam, then headed straight for Thombre’s home in the Health Services complex and conducted a raid which yielded Rs 9 lakh in cash. Simultaneous raids were conducted at his bungalow in Aurangabad’s posh Ulka Nagari area where Rs 52.36 lakh in cash was recovered. Kadam said this was one of the biggest cash hauls in the past many years. The ACB team estimated the 130 gm gold and five kg silver recovered to be worth Rs 1 lakh.

In addition, Thombre was found to own two flats worth Rs 14 lakh in the same Ulka Nagari area, five plots in the Beed bypass area, shops and five acres of land at Mategaon village in Beed, where he originally hails from.