BMC A-Ward Sub-Engineer Arrested by ACB for Accepting Rs 20,000 Bribe

Officers of the Mumbai Unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a sub-engineer from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's A-Ward red-handed on Wednesday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. The bribe was allegedly demanded in exchange for granting permission to repair a household kitchen drainage line and chambers for a home-cooked cloud kitchen business.

The arrested official has been identified as 39-year-old R.V. Jaiswal, who is posted in the solid waste management department of the BMC's A-Ward.

According to the ACB, the complainant had submitted an application to the BMC A-Ward office seeking formal permission to carry out repair work on the sewer line and chambers connected to her home kitchen. The application was forwarded to Jaiswal for processing. The official allegedly demanded an initial bribe of Rs 1.25 lakh to issue the required clearance.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the woman approached the Mumbai ACB and submitted an official complaint on June 15. During a formal verification exercise conducted on August 17, the ACB confirmed that Jaiswal demanded Rs 20,000 as a reward for granting the clearance.

Following the verification, ACB officials laid a trap on Wednesday at the A-Ward office. Jaiswal was caught red-handed as he accepted the Rs 20,000 sum from the complainant.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of trap officer and Assistant Commissioner of Police Deepika Dangarne. Following his arrest, ACB officers conducted a personal search of Jaiswal and recovered a mobile phone along with Rs 7.03 lakh in unaccounted cash.

A case has been registered against Jaiswal under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and further investigation is underway.