LMC clerk, peon caught accepting bribe
PUNE: A clerk and a peon of the Lonavla Municipal Council (LMC) were on Wednesday caught red-handed by the anti-corruption bureau for accepting Rs 10,000 as bribe to release a Rs 7 lakh cheque to retired school principal Supriya Taur (58) of Lonavla.
The ACB has identified the clerk as Shrikant Avdhut Dharke (36) of Talegaon and the peon as Vijay Rajan (47) of Ghatkopar, Mumbai. A complaint in this regard has been lodged by Taur’s nephew, Rajendra Vasudev Kulkarni of Bhangarwadi, Lonavla.
Taur was working as a principal in the LMC school board and retired on July 31, this year. The school board sanctioned Rs 7 lakh to her towards her pension and gratuity. “On August 19, Kulkarni approached Dharke and asked for the cheque. Dharke allegedly demanded Rs 15,000 and took Rs 5,000 from Kulkarni on the same day. He told Kulkarni that he would release the cheque after receiving the remaining amount,” said Sanjay Naik Patil, assistant commissioner of police (ACB).
Patil said that Kulkarni lodged a complaint with the ACB. “We laid a trap at a restaurant in Lonavla and caught Rajan red-handed while accepting the money. We have also arrested Dharke. The suspects were produced before the court on Thursday and released on bail.