Rs 3,000 bribe for birth certificate correction, two women sanitation workers trapped by ACB

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught two municipal sanitation workers red-handed while accepting a Rs 2,000 bribe for correcting a name in a birth certificate. The action was carried out Friday evening at the Mondha Chowk ward office.

The accused, Shobha Aherkar (56, Rahulanagar) and Varsha Mahire (36, Kotla Colony), had demanded Rs 3,000 from a citizen who had applied for corrections in his children’s birth certificates. Despite repeated visits, the work was delayed. Annoyed by the harassment, the complainant approached ACB superintendent Madhuri Kangane on August 22. After verification, the ACB team, in the presence of panch witnesses, confirmed the demand. The duo later settled for Rs 2,000. Following this, police inspector Dharmaraj Bangar, along with officers Valmik Kore, Rajendra Joshi, Pushpa Darade, Asha Kunte, and Yuvraj Hivale, laid a trap and nabbed the women while accepting the money. The incident has stirred debate in the municipal office, as sanitation workers do not hold the authority to correct birth certificates. Employees questioned who pushed them to take bribes and whether the ACB will act against higher officials behind the racket.