PSI gets two-year term in bribe case
Derineh Cooper
Special ACB Judge, VP Rohte, on Monday sentenced suspended sub-inspector of
Pydhonie police, to two years rigorous imprisonment in an anti-corruption
case of 1998. Ex-PSI NB Patil had demanded a bribe from complainant Pritika
Ambore in exchange for not registering a case of cheating against her.
Patil was further ordered by the court to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000, or
undergo further RI for six-months in lieu thereof.
On December 5, 1998, the ACB caught him red-handed while accpeting a bribe
of Rs25,000 from Ambore in a restaurant at Worli.
In 1998, one Sushila Chheda had complained that Ambore refused to repay a
loan of Rs23 lakhs. Patil summoned Ambore to Pydhonie, for interrogation.
Ambore denied all accusations leveled against her. Patil threatened her with
prosecution unless he paid him Rs5 lakh. Patil offered to settle the matter
for a bribe of Rs25,000 to be paid in installments.
On December 3, 1998, he called the ladies to Dahisar police station and from
there took them to the Santacruz police lock-up for settlement. During this
meeting, Chheda owned up that she had made a false statement and Ambore owed
her nothing.
Despite Chheda’s admission, Patil continued to harass Ambore for the bribe.
Ambore approached the ACB. Together they set a trap and arrested him in the
act of accepting the first installment of Rs. 5,000 from Ambore.
“Patil was convicted on the complete evidence given by Ambore. We examined
four witnesses only. Chedda was neither interrogated by the ACB nor made a
witness in the case,” said special ACB prosecutor Nazir Sheikh. leveled
against her by Chheda.