A police constable from Kondhwa Police Station was caught in the net of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 to help a person avoid arrest in an electricity theft case. The constable, Somnath Bapu Maharan, 34, residing in Shewalwadi, Haveli, allegedly colluded with retired police sub-inspector Yuvraj Krishna Farande, 59, from Uruli Devachi, Haveli. According to the ACB, a tenant and his landlord were involved in an electricity theft case. Maharan demanded ₹5,000 to shield the tenant from arrest. After the landlord paid, Maharan requested the amount from the tenant, with Farande facilitating the transaction via phone.
Following a complaint from the tenant, the ACB verified the bribery and set a trap outside Kondhwa Police Station on Monday. When the complainant and landlord arrived, Maharan was present, and the ACB caught him red-handed accepting the ₹5,000 bribe. Both Maharan and Farande have been booked at Kondhwa Police Station. The operation was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Superintendent of Police Shirish Sardeshpande, SP Ajit Patil, and Additional SP Arjun Bhosale. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had earlier warned that senior officers would be held accountable for illegal activities under their watch, prompting immediate transfers following the bribery incident.