Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Palghar unit arrested an individual named Ashok Dattatray Varkute (62) while he was accepting a bribe of ₹8 lakh on behalf of a talathi or a village revenue officer. The bribe was intended to facilitate the long-pending transfer of land ownership in official records. Varkute was caught during a carefully planned operation by the ACB, following a complaint that exposed how talathi Dnyaneshwar Sisode, through Varkute, had demanded a bribe to approve the land registration process that had been delayed for over ten months.
The case revolves around a land transaction where the complainant, representing a company, had purchased five acres of land in Survey No. 267/B in Shenve village. The complainant was authorized to process the land transfer and registration in the owner's name. However, the application had been pending for about ten months.
According to the ACB, Talathi Sisode demanded a bribe of Rs. 5,00,000 through the private individual Varkute working at the Vehloli Budruk Talathi office in Shahpur to process the land transfer. The demand was later increased to Rs. 8,00,000. The ACB set up a trap operation on October 17, 2024, during which Varkute was caught accepting Rs. 8,00,000 on behalf of the Talathi. Interestingly, the accepted amount included Rs. 2,00,000 in genuine currency and Rs. 6,00,000 in counterfeit notes.
While Varkute has been taken into custody, Sisode remains at large. The authorities are conducting a manhunt to locate him. Further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of the involvement of other officials in the bribery scheme.