Revenue official flees as ACB tries to nab him taking bribe

Thane, Oct 13: A 'talathi' (local revenue department official) escaped when he was about to be nabbed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 at a village in Thane district of Maharashtra, an official said on Thursday.

The incident occurred at Khutghar Shahapur village in Shahapur taluka of the district on Wednesday, he said. "The accused had made a demand of Rs 13,000 from the complainant for the transfer of land in a housing society's name. After negotiation, the amount was finalised at Rs 5,000.

But the complainant approached the Thane unit of the ACB to raise the issue," the official said. Accordingly, a trap was laid on Kalamba Road to nab the talathi. "The accused accepted Rs 3,000 from the complainant.

But he soon realised that he was being nabbed. So he pushed aside the complainant and the panch witnesses. The accused then escaped on his two-wheeler," he said. The ACB has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and an offence was later registered at the Shahapur police station.