Palghar: Auditor held for taking Rs 2,000 bribe

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a 45-year-old audit officer of the Palghar Zilla Parishad's audit department in Maharashtra for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a contractor's representative for certifying work payments, the ACB said.

The representative of the contractor, who carried out works on water supply projects, had submitted bills for the same. Ramesh Gole, an assistant auditor with the Palghar Zilla Parishad’s audit department, allegedly demanded Rs 2,000 from the representative to process the bills and submit them for payment, Deputy Superintendent of Police (ACB-Palghar) Dayanand Gawde said in a release.

The contractor’s representative lodged a complaint with the Palghar ACB unit which laid a trap at the Zilla Parishad audit office on Tuesday afternoon and nabbed the accused while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant, the official said. An offence was registered against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Palghar police station, he added.