Botad, Gujarat – March 7, 2025 – In a successful decoy operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Botad apprehended two individuals, including a contract-based computer operator for the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and a cotton gin operator, for accepting a bribe of 265 kilograms of cotton, valued at Rs. 19,798.

The operation, which culminated on March 6, 2025, targeted alleged corrupt practices at the CCI purchase center located at Kashtbhanjan Cotton and Oil Industries in Gadhda, Dist. Botad. According to the ACB, the accused were manipulating cotton weights and demanding bribes from farmers under the guise of rejecting low-quality produce.

“We received credible information that CCI employees and cotton gin operators were exploiting farmers by falsely declaring their cotton as substandard and then demanding bribes,” stated an ACB official. “Instead of conducting proper quality assessments, they were engaging in illegal activities for personal gain.”

The decoy operation involved a vigilant citizen who presented a tractor loaded with cotton at the CCI purchase center. On March 5th, the cotton was unloaded and weighed, with the computerized scale recording a net weight of 2745 kg. However, when the decoy attempted to obtain an invoice, they were told the online system was down and to return the following day.

Upon returning on March 6th, the accused, Ghanshyambhai Vitthalbhai Bodar, the gin operator, allegedly manipulated the weight, reducing it to 2480 kg on a handwritten note. Following this, Akramali S/o Shaukatali Patwari, the CCI computer operator, generated an invoice reflecting the reduced weight. This discrepancy resulted in 265 kg of cotton, valued at Rs. 19,798, being unlawfully obtained by the accused.

“The accused were caught red-handed while accepting the bribe,” the ACB official confirmed. “They colluded to defraud the farmer for their personal financial benefit.”

The arrested individuals have been identified as:

• Akramali S/o Shaukatali Patwari, 25, CCI contract-based computer operator.
• Ghanshyambhai Vitthalbhai Bodar, 42, operator of Kashtbhanjan Cotton and Oil Industries.

The operation was conducted under the supervision of Shri S. N. Barot, In-charge Assistant Director, Bhavnagar Unit, and led by Shri R. D. Sagar, Police Inspector, Botad ACB Police Station, and the Botad ACB staff.

DeshGujarat