ACB Gujarat arrests suspended fire officer in bribery case

Ahmedabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday, arrested a suspended Divisional Fire Officer (DFO) for allegedly soliciting a bribe from a fire safety equipment contractor in exchange for issuing a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a school in Khanpur in 2022. On August 26, the ACB had already filed a complaint against Manish Modh, the suspended DFO, and fireman Eric Rebello under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).

The contractor, who was installing a fire safety system for a school client, needed to obtain a fire safety certificate from the fire department. He met with Modh and Rebello to request the necessary inspection for the fire NOC. Modh reportedly demanded Rs 65,000, approximately 10% of the total contract amount of Rs 6.30 lakh. After negotiations, they settled on a bribe of Rs 25,000. Modh personally accepted Rs 10,000 from the contractor, while Rebello collected the remaining Rs 15,000 at Modh’s direction.

In 2022, the contractor provided the ACB with audio and video evidence of the bribe demand. The agency’s investigation confirmed that both accused had discussed the bribe, and additional documentary, scientific, and circumstantial evidence verified that the bribe was requested and received. Following this, the ACB filed a complaint under the PCA. DeshGujarat