ACB Gujarat nabs middleman taking ₹2 lakh bribe at ‘behest’ of PSI; ₹49 lakh found in car

Anand: The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday caught a middleman allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹2 lakh in connection with a police investigation in Anand. During a subsequent search of the car in which the accused was sitting, the ACB team also recovered ₹49 lakh in cash.

According to the ACB, the accused have been identified as V. N. Rathod, a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) with the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Anand, and Dilipbhai alias Dipubhai Bhikhabhai Patel, a private individual.

The ACB received a complaint alleging that the two had demanded ₹2 lakh from the complainant in connection with an investigation at Anand Town Police Station. The bribe was allegedly sought to unfreeze the complainant’s bank account and ensure that the complainant was not arrested in the case.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB and lodged a complaint. Acting on the complaint, the bureau laid a trap. During the operation, Patel was allegedly caught accepting ₹2 lakh while sitting inside a Maruti Ciaz car near the entrance of the SOG office in Anand. PSI Rathod was not present at the spot when the trap was executed.

During a search of the car in the presence of independent witnesses, the ACB team recovered an additional ₹49 lakh in cash. The bureau said further investigation into the case was underway.

The trap was led by Police Inspector D. N. Patel of ACB Field-1, Gujarat State, Ahmedabad, along with the ACB team. DeshGujarat