Mumbai News: ACB Arrests BMC Sanitary Inspector For Accepting ₹2 Lakh Bribe In Santacruz Health License Case

Mumbai: The Mumbai Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Thursday arrested a sanitary inspector posted with the H/East ward of the BMC in a bribery case.

According to the ACB, the complainant runs a consultancy company that is into the business of getting health licenses, building permits and other necessary permits issued to businessmen from different government offices. The complainant's client from Santacruz required a health license for his establishment. Accordingly, the complainant went to H/East Ward of the Municipal Corporation and met the public servant Sarabjitsingh Bajwa.

"Bajwa asked the complainant to apply online and before that he demanded Rs 2 lakh. Accordingly, the complainant had applied online and paid Rs 2 lakh to Bajwa. Accordingly, the complainant had obtained an online health license. Thereafter, another public servant from the ward office inspected the establishment of the complainant's client and found that the license obtained by the complainant online was incorrect and asked the complainant to come to the office and meet him in this regard," said a ACB official.

He added, "When the complainant went to H/East ward and met the accused public servants including Bajwa, they demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from the complainant for issuing the said license and asked him to pay the remaining Rs 3 lakh as he had already paid Rs 2 lakh earlier. However, as the complainant did not want to bribe public servants, he appeared before the ACB office on May 14 and filed a complaint. In accordance with the said complaint, during the verification action taken on May 15, it was found that Bajwa demanded the remaining bribe of Rs. 3 lakh from the complainant for his work and later agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 2.50 lakh. Accordingly, during the follow-up action taken on Thursday, Bajwa was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant."