Hinjawadi: Pune ACB Nabs Mulshi Talathi Red-Handed While Accepting Rs 25,000 Bribe
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Hinjawadi, 19th May 2026: The Pune unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a Talathi (revenue official) red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 at his office in Maan village, Mulshi taluka, on Tuesday evening.
The accused has been identified as Santosh Pralhad Rane (45), a resident of Katraj-Kondhwa Road, Pune. He was serving as a Class-III Talathi for the Maan Saja in Mulshi taluka.
According to the ACB, the 35-year-old complainant’s father had recently passed away. To register the names of the complainant and his brother on the mutation extract (Ferfar) of their ancestral land, Talathi Rane had demanded a total bribe of Rs 1,25,000.
Prior to the complaint, Rane had already accepted Rs 1,00,000 from the complainant and completed the registration entry on the land records. However, he continued to harass the complainant for the outstanding balance of Rs 25,000. Unwilling to pay the remaining amount, the complainant approached the Pune ACB office on May 11, 2026.
Following the complaint, the ACB team conducted a verification of the allegations on May 14. During the discreet verification process, Rane openly acknowledged demanding the Rs 1,25,000, admitted to receiving the initial Rs 1 lakh, and reiterated his demand for the remaining Rs 25,000 to finalize the matter.
Based on this confirmation, the ACB laid a trap at the Maan Talathi office on Tuesday, May 19. At approximately 6:06 PM, Rane was apprehended red-handed right after he accepted the Rs 25,000 bribe amount from the complainant.
The process of registering a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, is currently underway at the Hinjawadi Police Station, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate.
The successful operation was executed by Police Inspector Pravin Nimbalkar and the Investigating Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bharati More. The action was carried out under the expert guidance of ACB Pune Superintendent of Police (SP) Shirish Sardeshpande, along with Additional Superintendents of Police Ajit Patil and Arjun Bhosale.
Following the arrest, SP Shirish Sardeshpande issued an appeal to citizens, urging them to come forward without hesitation if any public servant or private agent demands a bribe for official government work. Citizens can report corruption to the ACB via their toll-free landlines, the WhatsApp helpline (9403781064), email, or the official online grievance portal.
