Bharuch: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat today caught three police personnel after they allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a complainant in connection with the release of seized mobile phones in a Prohibition Act case.

The accused have been identified as Aniruddhbhai Valkubhai Dhadhal, Assistant Head Constable (AHC) posted at Panoli Police Station; Sagarbhai Karanbhai Chavda, Lok Rakshak Police Constable (LRPC); and Jaydeepsinh Sukhdevsinh Parmar, Assistant Head Constable (AHC).

According to the ACB, the complainant had earlier been booked under the Prohibition Act at Panoli Police Station and was sent to sub-jail. After securing bail, the complainant approached the police station to retrieve the mobile phones seized during the case.

As per the ACB, Dhadhal and Parmar demanded Rs 3 lakh from the complainant, promising to facilitate the return of the seized mobile phones. Since the complainant was unable to arrange the entire amount, the accused allegedly agreed to accept the bribe in three instalments of Rs 1 lakh each.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB’s 1064 toll-free helpline, following which a trap was laid on Tuesday.

During the trap, the complainant contacted the accused as instructed. According to the ACB, accused Aniruddhbhai Dhadhal directed the complainant to hand over the money to co-accused Sagarbhai Chavda. Chavda allegedly accepted Rs 1 lakh, after which the ACB team apprehended him on the spot.

The bureau said all three accused had allegedly acted in collusion and accepted the bribe. The entire Rs 1 lakh allegedly accepted as the first instalment was recovered during the operation. Further investigation into the case is underway. DeshGujarat