API, police constable arrested for accepting bribe of ₹40,000

Navi Mumbai: An Assistant Police Inspector (API) and a police constable attached to the Koparkhairane police station were arrested by the Navi Mumbai unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹40,000. The ACB took action after receiving a complaint against the two from a relative of an individual arrested by the police in a cheating case. Following verification of the complaint, a trap was set at the location in Kharghar where the bribe was paid.

ACB officials said that originally a sum of ₹1 lakh was demanded by the police personnel from the complainant and following negotiations the demand was brought down to ₹40,000. API Sagar Kumar Takle, 37, and constable Pragnesh Narendra Kothekar, 42, who worked as the court attache for the police station, were arrested on Wednesday in Kharghar.

The bribe was sought by the accused to go easy in a case against a relative of the complainant. The relative was arrested by Koparkhairane police in April on charges of cheating and forgery.

Following the arrest, the complainant filed a bail application in the court “Takle was the investigating officer of the case and demanded the amount to go easy on the case and cooperate with the family of the one arrested. In order to not oppose the bail plea, the amount was demanded,” said an ACB officer.

The bribe amount was to be handed over to the second accused, Kothekar. However, the complainant approached the ACB unit of Navi Mumbai and informed them about the happenings. The allegations were verified by the police and a trap was set.

As instructed by the API, the second accused Kothekar met the complainant at Kharghar to collect the money. The police nabbed Kothekar red-handed while accepting the money. Following this event, Takle too was detained. A case has been registered against them at the Kharghar police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.