Assistant engineer arrested in Rs 1 crore bribe scam
Maharashtra: In the ongoing anti-corruption drive in Maharashtra, Nashik Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) successfully arrested an Assistant Engineer working in Maharashtra Industrial Area Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) while accepting a huge bribe of Rs 1 crore. The accused engineer has been identified as Amit Kishore Gaikwad (32), with involvement of sub-divisional engineer Ganesh Wagh also alleged. A case has been registered against both of them under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the MIDC police station in the city.
According to ACB sources, Assistant Engineer Amit Gaikwad, implicated in the bribery scandal, is a resident of Nagpur. The complainant in this case is a contractor who had recently completed the installation of a 1000 mm diameter pipeline. The problem arose when the contractor sought approval for the project and submitted bills for payment, following which Gaikwad demanded an exorbitant bribe of ₹1 crore in exchange for securing the necessary signatures from the engineer overseeing the project. Subsequently, the contractor reported the extortion to Nashik ACB.
The ACB team in Nashik swiftly conducted a sting operation last Friday afternoon, deploying itself near Anand Super Market building along the Ahmednagar-Sambhajinagar highway. During this operation, Gaikwad accepted a staggering bribe amount of ₹1 crore, which he demanded for himself and Wagh. The exchange took place in front of a referee, as Gaikwad had called Wagh to confirm the receipt of the bribe and inquire about the location of the delivery of Wagh’s share, to which Wagh replied, ‘Just put it in your pocket. keep close; I will soon give instructions as to where it is to be distributed.’
