Gujarat ACB nabs man for taking bribe to withdraw land encroachment complaint

Junagadh: The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested a 54-year-old man for allegedly accepting a ₹3.5 lakh bribe in Junagadh.

According to the ACB, the accused, Karshanbhai Ghelabhai Solanki, a labourer and resident of Vrindavan Nagar Society near Madhuram Bypass in Junagadh, had filed a complaint with the Taluka Development Officer (TDO) office alleging that the complainant’s nephew had encroached on gauchar (common grazing) land. He allegedly demanded ₹5.25 lakh from the complainant to withdraw the complaint and assure him that no action would be taken by the talati or the TDO office.

The ACB said Solanki had already accepted ₹25,000 initially and another ₹1.5 lakh later. He had agreed to collect the remaining ₹3.5 lakh on Tuesday.

Based on the complaint, the Junagadh ACB unit laid a trap near Limda Chowk, beside Diwan Chowk, on a public road. During the operation, Solanki allegedly accepted ₹3.5 lakh from the complainant and was caught by the ACB team.

The entire ₹3.5 lakh bribe amount was recovered from the accused, the ACB said. Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat