Mumbai: ACB arrests food safety officer for accepting bribe of Rs 40,000

The grocery shop owner submitted a written complaint application after which the ACB officials verified his complaint and laid a trap near his shop on Tuesday.

The Anti Corruption Bureau on Tuesday arrested a food safety officer working with the Food and Drugs Administration along with a private person for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a grocery shop owner.

According to the police officials, the duo visited the complainant’s shop on September 6.

The officer identified as Ranjitsingh Bandoba Pawar took the samples of gram flour, maida and pigeon pea from his shop. He claimed that the complainant was selling low-quality food items and further threatened to take action against him.

“In order to stop him from taking adequate action, the officer demanded Rs 50,000 from the complainant,” said an officer from ACB.

As the complainant did not wish to give a bribe to the officer, he then reported the matter at the ACB office in Worli.

The grocery shop owner submitted a written complaint application after which the ACB officials verified his complaint and laid a trap near his shop on Tuesday.

“The complainant had negotiated with the duo and the officer had agreed to settle the matter at Rs 40,000. And when they came to his shop on Tuesday evening to take the amount, we caught them red-handed while accepting Rs 40,000,” said an ACB spokesperson.

Pawar and the private person identified as Abhishek Tikekar have been booked under sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. They will be produced in court today.

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