Navsari: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat on Thursday caught two persons, including a Talati-Mantri, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹40,000 in Chikhli taluka.

According to the ACB, a case has been registered against Talati-cum-Minister Kamleshbhai Dharamshibhai Desai and Gokulbhai Budhabhai Patel of Talav Chora Gram Panchayat. The complainant had applied for an NOC at the Gram Panchayat office to extract soil from his land and take it to another place. It is alleged that the Talati had demanded a bribe of ₹40,000 from the complainant for preparing the NOC, map, and family deed. Since the complainant did not want to pay the bribe, he approached the ACB and filed a complaint.

Based on the complaint, the ACB set a trap, during which the accused’s accomplice, Gokulbhai Patel, accepted a bribe of ₹40,000 from the complainant on the instructions of the accused Talati. After that, the ACB team caught both the accused on the spot and seized the entire bribe amount.

Further legal action has been taken against both the accused by the ACB under the Prevention of Corruption Act. DeshGujarat