NMC tax collector caught by ACB accepting Rs 1,000 bribe in Nagpur

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a tax collector of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 1,000. He is alleged to have demanded the money for providing the property tax assessment record of a house registered in the name of the complainant's wife.

The accused has been identified as Gaurav Raju Wankhede (25), a tax collector with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. The action was taken at around 5 pm on Thursday, November 12.

According to the ACB, the 62-year-old complainant had applied for the tax record of a property registered in his wife's name. The accused allegedly demanded Rs 1,000 to help with the work and provide the required records. Unwilling to pay a bribe for a government service, the complainant went to the ACB office in Nagpur on November 12 and lodged a complaint.

After the complaint, the ACB verified the demand for the bribe through a voice recorder in the presence of independent witnesses. The accused was allegedly found demanding Rs 1,000 and also agreed to accept the amount. On the basis of this verification, the ACB team laid a trap to catch him.

At around 5 pm on Thursday, the accused took Rs 1,000 from the complainant in front of independent witnesses. The ACB team immediately moved in and caught him red-handed.

A case is being registered against Wankhede at Sadar police station under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (including the 2018 amendment). The ACB said the accused has been taken into custody and that further steps towards arrest will follow once the case is registered.

The action was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Dr Digambar Pradhan, Additional Superintendent of Police Madhuri Baviskar and Additional Superintendent of Police Vijay Mahulkar. The trap was led by Police Inspector Rahul D. Chavan of ACB Chandrapur. He was assisted by Police Inspector Mayur Chaurasia and other ACB personnel, including Head Constable Bharat Thakur, police havaldar Ashish Vaidya, and police constables Milind Meshram, Praful Bhatulkar and Sanket Ramteke. Driver police havaldar Sadanand Shirshath also took part in the operation.

The ACB has appealed to the public to report any government officer or employee who demands a bribe for official work. People can approach the ACB and file complaints without fear. The department said public cooperation is essential in the fight against corruption.