‘Pay Rs 10 Lakh or Face Rs 2 Crore Penalty’: Pune Talathi Booked in ACB Case
Shivajinagar, 4th August 2026: The Pune unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against a talathi and a kotwal attached to the Shivajinagar Talathi Office for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹10 lakh from an excavation contractor.
The accused have been identified as Ashwini Dattatray Kokate, 37, a talathi, and Mahesh Madhukar Munde, 30, a kotwal.
According to an ACB press note, the 37-year-old complainant’s firm was carrying out foundation excavation for a commercial project at Survey No. 967 on Senapati Bapat Road in Pune. Kokate had conducted a panchanama, or official inspection record, at the site.
Kokate allegedly told the contractor that 3,200 brass of excess excavation had been carried out and that a penalty of ₹2 crore could be imposed. She allegedly demanded ₹10 lakh to submit a “nil” or favourable panchanama report to the tehsildar.
The contractor approached the Pune ACB and lodged a complaint on June 15, 2026. During verification conducted on June 16, Kokate allegedly reiterated the ₹10-lakh demand and instructed the complainant to hand over the money to Munde.
The ACB alleged that Munde expressed his willingness to accept the money and supported the bribe demand.
Based on the verification, a case was registered at Shivajinagar Police Station at 4.33 p.m. on August 4. The case, registered as Crime No. 205/2026, invokes Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Police Inspector Asawari Shedge is investigating the case under the supervision of Deputy Superintendent of Police Satish Walke and senior Pune ACB officers.
The ACB has appealed to citizens to report any bribe demand made by a public servant. The Pune ACB can be contacted on 020-26132802, through WhatsApp on 9403781064, or through the anti-corruption helpline 1064. Complaints may also be emailed to [email protected].
