Ulhasnagar Assistant Public Prosecutor Arrested by ACB in Rs 1,000 Bribery Case

An assistant public prosecutor attached to the court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class in Ulhasnagar was arrested on Monday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for allegedly demanding a Rs 1,000 bribe from an advocate to submit her official response in a cyber fraud matter.

The accused has been identified as Sushma Dhananjay Patil, a Class I officer posted at the JMFC court in Ulhasnagar.

According to officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, the complainant in the case is a 36-year-old woman advocate. She had filed two separate applications before the court on behalf of her clients, seeking the return of funds that had been frozen in connection with a cyber fraud investigation. Both applications were pending before the court awaiting official responses.

The complainant alleged that Patil demanded Rs 500 for each application, totalling Rs 1,000, in exchange for submitting her official "say" or response in the two pending matters.

Following the complaint, the ACB initiated a verification process on August 6 in the presence of an independent panch witness. During the verification, investigators found that Patil allegedly reiterated her demand for the bribe amount and showed readiness to accept the cash.

The anti-graft agency subsequently laid a trap to catch her red-handed. However, Patil allegedly grew suspicious of the complainant and the panch witness, and declined to accept the cash during the first attempt.

A second trap was arranged by the ACB team on August 11. Patil once again refused to accept the money after suspecting the presence of the complainant and the panch witness.

Based on the evidence gathered during verification and the ongoing investigation, the ACB registered a First Information Report against Patil at the Central police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. She was placed under arrest on Monday.