Agriculture assistant held in Korpana for taking Rs 40,000 bribe to clear bandhara bill

A corruption case has come to light in Korpana taluka of Chandrapur district, where an agriculture assistant was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 to clear a pending bill for work on a bandhara (small check dam). The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap in Korpana on the evening of Tuesday, October 27. The action has caused a stir in government departments and among employees.

According to the ACB, the accused public servant is Hari Vitthalrao Udgire, 35, who works as an agriculture assistant at the Korpana taluka agriculture officer's office. He lives in Teacher Colony, Gadchandur, Chandrapur district, and is originally from Hanumant Jawalga in Chakur taluka of Latur district.

The complainant is a 46-year-old man who had built a bandhara and needed its government bill cleared. To approve the bill, the accused first demanded a bribe of Rs 55,000. The amount was later settled at Rs 40,000. Fed up with the demand, the complainant filed a complaint with the ACB in Wardha.

On the basis of the complaint, the demand was verified on October 27, 2026, in the presence of government panch witnesses. This established that the accused had demanded the bribe. The ACB team then laid a trap and, at 6 pm, caught Udgire red-handed accepting the agreed Rs 40,000 from the complainant. The amount was in 80 notes of Rs 500.

A Vivo mobile phone and Rs 595 in cash were found on the accused during a search and have been seized. A search of his house is also under way. Proceedings to register a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Gadchandur police station are continuing. The investigation is being carried out by Police Inspector Kedar of the ACB Chandrapur.

The action was carried out by the ACB Wardha team of Police Inspector Sandip Mupde, police constables Mangesh Jhamre and Sachin Gadwe, and police personnel Pritam Ingle, Laxman Kendre and Vishnu Kalsuse. The ACB has appealed to the public to contact it if any government officer or employee demands a bribe for official work.