WR engineer nabbed

October 23: NS Nikhare, Deputy Chief Engineer Survey of Western Railway was arrested by the Anti-Corruption wing of CBI last night for demanding and accepting a bribe from a manager of a construction company. Ashok Shah, Manager, Abrol Constructions, whose office is located at Borivli East had applied for a NOC from the railway department to the divisional railway manager WR on July 25, 1996. When Shah met Nikhare, Nikhare demanded Rs one lakh initially, but later reduced the amount to Rs 50,000. Nikhare asked Shah to come to his office at WR headquarters, Churchgate, with Rs 50,000 on Wednesday. Nikhare was caught red-handed at his office while accepting and demanding the money. He has been remanded to custody till October 27, 1997.

One arrested Mohammed Rafiq Usman Khan 24 was arrested by Crime Branch sleuths in Thane district yesterday in connection with a Rs 3.5 lakh diamond robbery at VP Road, Girgaum in July, 1997.Usman and three accomplices had entered a diamond cutting and polishing workshop at Sadashiv Cross Lane, Girgaum, on July 3, 1997 armed with choppers and revolvers. They asked the owner to hand over diamonds which he had received from Hong Kong. When he denied that he had received any, the robbers tied up the workers and the owner and decamped with the diamonds, valued at Rs 3.5 lakh.Yesterday, acting on a tipoff, the police nabbed Usman at Mumbra.