Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today caught red-handed a Resident Deputy Collector (RDC) Vinod Khirolkar (51) and revenue assistant (RA) Dilip Tribhuvan (40), both serving at the district collectorate, on charge of accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh, from complainant to transfer the category of Class II land (located at Teesgaon, in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district) into Class I, on Tuesday.
According to ACB, the complainant (49 years) lodged a complaint with the office on May 23, 2025 stating that he and his partner, through registered sale deed, had bought Class 2 (Varg 2) land admeasuring 6 acres and 16 gunthas, located at Tisgaon in 2023. As per revenue norms, to purchase the land it is mandatory to generate a challan of the government fees. Hence Deepak and RDC demanded a bribe of Rs 23 lakh and took the money from him.
Later on, when the process to transfer the category of land from Class 2 to Class 1 was initiated, both Deepak and RDC demanded a bribe of Rs 18 lakh from him and partner to generate the challan of government fees.
Hence the ACB verified the complaint and found Dilip saying that RDC saheb had asked for the money (Rs 18 lakh).
Accordingly, the discussion on payment was held in the cabin of RDC between the complainant and the both accused on May 26. Later it was decided to pay a token of Rs 5 lakh and make the remaining payment of Rs 13 lakh after completion of the category process. Hence Dilip called the complainant and told to wait on the road in front of the district collector’s office. The ACB then laid a trap on May 27, and as soon as Dilip took the money, the team pounced on him and caught on the spot. Simultaneously, another independent team then held the RDC Khirolkar from his cabin.
Meanwhile, the process to file the case against the duo at the City Chowk police station was underway till late in the evening.
Under the guidance of the ACB superintendent of police (SP) Sandeep Atole, Additional SP Mukund Aghav and deputy SP Suresh Naiknaware, the trap was laid by deputy SP Dilip Sable, police inspector Shantolal Chavan, assistant PI Gorakhnath Gangurde and team.
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The cops have confiscated one mobile and cash Rs 3,000 from Dilip's possession and one I-phone and one android mobile phone and cash Rs 75,000 from RDC’s cabin. Meanwhile, the search of Dilip's house has also been done.