Mumbai: Officer caught 'pink'-handed taking Rs 8,000 bribe in new notes

Avinash Kashinath Patil was caught red-handed

Almost a week after port trust officials in Gujarat were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh in the new Rs 2,000 bills, the Anti-Corruption Bureau officials on Tuesday arrested a rationing officer for taking Rs 8,000 in bribe in new currency notes.

The arrested accused is Avinash Kashinath Patil (50) an officer at the rationing office located at Gilbert Road in Andheri West.

"Patil had taken the bribe in new currency notes," confirmed a senior ACB official. This is the first such instance in Mumbai post the demonetisation move. The complainant in the case is the nephew of the owner of a rationing shop located in the western suburbs.

Rs 3k as ‘Diwali gift'
According to ACB, Patil had demanded Rs 12,000 as bribe not to point out faults in the shop's rationing stock register and Rs 3,000 as a ‘Diwali gift' from the complainant. The complainant did not want to pay the bribe to Patil and hence, he approached the ACB and lodged a case against him.

Acting on the complaint, ACB on Tuesday nabbed Patil red-handed in his Andheri office while accepting Rs 8,000 of the Rs 15,000. He has been arrested under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.