10 prison officials involved in 2005 recruitment scam arrested
PUNE: The state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested 10 officers of the state prison department for their alleged involvement in the jail guard recruitment scam (western region) in 2005.
The ACB in 2006 had arrested six officers from the prison department, including the then deputy inspector general of police (prison) Dhanaji Chaudhari. All of them are now out on bail.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Sanjay Laxman Kulkarni (48), the then jail superintendent, Visapur Jail in Ahmednagar, Anand Laxman Wadar (62), the then jail superintendent, Ahmednagar jail (now retired), Rachana Prafulla Dhumal (41), the then assistant police inspector at the prison department, Pune (now not in service), Mahadev Narayn Pawar (62), the then assistant police inspector at prison department, Pune, (took VRS), Umaji Tolaram Pawar (40), the then jail superintendent of open jail at Yerawada, Prakash Chimanrao Yadav (58), who was an officer at the jail officers training college, Yerawada (now retired), Ganesh Amrut Mankar (30), the then trainee jail officer at jail officers training college, Yerawada, Ganesh Shankarrao Shelke (30), jail officer at Thane, Digambar Shivaji Igave (33), jail officer at Solapur and Santosh Bhimashankar Kokane (25), jail officer, Dhule.
Speaking to TOI, superintendent of police (ACB) Vishwas Pandhare said, “We have arrested Kulkarni, Wadar, Dhumal and Pawar in Pune and produced before the court on Thursday, Pandhare said, adding, “Special judge Arvind Rohi remanded the four to magisterial custody.”
The other six officers were arrested by the ACB units in Thane, Nashik, Aurangabad and Mumbai. They would be produced before the Pune police court on Friday, Pandhare added.
Pandhare said that the scam came into light after a few candidate, who had appeared for the jail guard recruitment for prisons in the western region between February 2 to September 5 2005, filed a complaint with the ACB about the corruption in the selection process. Investigations have revealed that the prison officials had misused their power and selected candidates of their choice. A complaint in this regard was lodged on March 3, 2006.
Pandhare said, “We will file a chargesheet of this case before the court on Friday.”
The ACB team comprises of additional superintendents V K Shelar, Tushar Dosi of ACB, deputy superintendents Sanjay Nail Patil and Padmakar Ghanwat.