Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) officials, on Wednesday afternoon, caught red-handed the MSEDCL’s executive engineer Dhanaji Raghunath Ramugade (54) and deputy manager Pravin Kachru Divekar (45, Padegaon) while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a contractor against sanctioning transformer repairing bills of Rs 10 lakh, in Kannad sub-division office. Both of them were arrested from the office of Ramugade. The duo has collected a first installment of Rs 1.5 lakh from the contractor and accepting a second installment proved dearer to them.
The contractor has done four works relating to transformers of MSEDCL’s Kannad sub-division, few days ago. Ramugade and Divekar demanded a bribe of Rs 3.50 lakh from him against final approval of his bills (of valuing Rs 10 lakh) for payments. The contractor first paid them Rs 1.5 lakh. Hence the accused approved his two bills and demanded Rs 2 lakh for the sanctioning of the remaining two bills. The angry contractor then contacted the ACB office (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) and lodged his complaint with the Superintendent of Police (ACB) Sandeep Atole on Tuesday. Acting upon the order, the police inspector Amol Dhas verified the complaint. ACB procured the evidence regarding the first payment of Rs 1.5 lakh made by the contractor.
Dropped an handkerchief
Later on, Tuesday late in the evening, Ramgude after negotiation agreed to accept Rs 1 lakh and he told the contractor to bring the money to his office. Inspector Dhas along with his team Yuvaraj Hiwale, Ravindra Kale, Atmaram Paithankar, C N Bagul laid a trap in the MSEDCL office in Kannad. Divekar was already sitting in the office of Ramugade. As per the plan, as soon as the contractor dropped a handkerchief (as an indicator), the ACB team barged into the office of the executive engineer and arrested the duo.
Huge salaries
Ramuade is a Class I officer and draws a salary of around Rs 1.5 lakh per month, while Divekar also draws Rs 1 lakh per month. After the arrest, the ACB started searching Divekar’s house in Padegaon. Divekar hails from Thane, therefore, the ACB Thane squad raided his house in Thane late in the evening today and searched his property, ornaments, documents, etc.