A special court under the Prevention of Corruption Act has sentenced a 63-year-old man to three years imprisonment for posing as a government official and accepting bribe in lieu of helping the complainant to secure a wireman license. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs50,000; of which, Rs10,000 will go as compensation to the complainant.
The accused, Shivaji Ghag from Andheri, faked as an official working at the electricity board office in Chembur.
As per the prosecution, the complainant, Vijay Gaikwad, visited the electricity office in 2015 to apply for a wireman license. He alleged that Ghag sought Rs5,500 for the licence, prompting him to approach the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The agency arranged a trap and nabbed Ghag red-handed while negotiating and accepting Rs2,500. Probe revealed that he was not a government official, said the prosecution, claiming that he acted as a middleman in the corruption scheme.
The court pronounced Ghag guilty based on the audio recordings between him and Gaikwad. The voice analysis report confirmed that it was the accused's voice.
