A central marketing officer, Vishal Talwalkar, from the Nashik office that approves the "Agmark" certification under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, has been arrested for accepting a bribe. The arrest was made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) teams on Monday.
The incident occurred at the marketing office in Anandnagar, Nashik Road. Talwalkar allegedly demanded a bribe of one lakh rupees from a dairy product trader in Dhule District who had applied for an Agmark certificate, a quality mark for agricultural products. Alongside Talwalkar, a clerk and other staff under his authority were also involved in the demand for the bribe.
The trader, unwilling to pay the bribe, reported the matter to the Nashik unit of the CBI-ACB. Acting on this complaint, Senior Inspector Ranjit Pandey and his team set up a trap and caught Talwalkar red-handed while accepting the bribe.
The case is under investigation, with further inquiries being conducted to identify any additional suspects or involvement of other officials in this bribery case. The arrest has raised concerns about corruption within the government offices responsible for quality certification, and more stringent actions are expected to follow.