Female Gram Panchayat Members and their husbands nabbed by ACB Gujarat for taking Rs. 2 lakh bribe

Palanpur: In a crackdown on corruption, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested four individuals, including two members of the Malana Gram Panchayat, for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹200,000.

The accused have been identified as Jamaben Mukeshbhai Makwana, Naynaben Rameshbhai Prajapati, both members of the Malana Gram Panchayat, along with their respective husbands, Mukeshbhai Gova bhai Makwana and Rameshbhai Ramchandbhai Prajapati.

According to the ACB, a vigilant citizen filed a complaint alleging that the accused had demanded a bribe to approve a no-confidence motion against the complainant’s mother, who is the Sarpanch (village head). The accused allegedly threatened to create hurdles in development projects unless the bribe was paid.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap at a hotel in Palanpur on January 23, 2025. During the sting operation, the accused were caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of ₹200,000 from the complainant.

The entire operation was carried out under the supervision of Deputy Director K.H. Gohil of the ACB Border Unit, Bhuj, and was executed by Inspector N.A. Chaudhary of the Banaskantha ACB Police Station, Palanpur.

The arrested individuals have been booked under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and are currently being interrogated. DeshGujarat