Pune: ACB Arrests Three Zilla Parishad Officials for Demanding Rs 2.5 Lakh Bribe
Reported by Tikam Shekhawat
Pune, 14th March 2025: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against three officials from the construction department of the Pune Zilla Parishad for demanding a bribe of ₹2.5 lakh from a contractor in exchange for approving payment and submitting an inspection report.
Two of the accused were caught accepting ₹1.42 lakh in a compromised settlement during an ACB trap on Thursday.
The accused include:
Baburao Krishna Pawar (57), Executive Engineer, South Division
Dattatreya Bhagwanrao Pathare (55), Deputy Engineer, Daund-Shirur Subdivision
Anjali Pramod Bagade, Junior Engineer
A 37-year-old government contractor had filed a complaint at the Bundgarden police station, leading to the operation. The accused have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case pertains to road construction work on Khutbav Road to Galandwadi Panand Shiv Road and Galandwadi Mandir to Gyandev Kadam Ghar Road in Daund Taluka, awarded to the complainant in September 2024 for ₹40 lakh. After completing the work, a Zilla Parishad committee (SQM Committee) was scheduled to inspect it on March 3, 2025, before approving the final payment.
However, Junior Engineer Bagade allegedly demanded ₹80,000 for processing the inspection report. Later, when the contractor approached Deputy Engineer Pathare and Executive Engineer Pawar, they also demanded ₹80,000 each for clearing the payment. Suspicious of corruption, the contractor reported the matter to the ACB, and a verification process was conducted on March 11.
After confirming the bribe demand, the ACB set up a trap on March 13 at the Zilla Parishad premises. Pawar and Pathare were caught red-handed accepting ₹1.42 lakh, while Bagade was found to have instructed the bribe payment to Pathare. All three were taken into custody, and a case was filed at the Bundgarden police station.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of ACB Superintendent of Police Shirish Sardeshpande and Additional Superintendent of Police Dr. Sheetal Janve, with Police Inspector Rupesh Jadhav leading the investigation.
₹8.5 Lakh Found in Executive Engineer’s Office
During the operation, ACB officials found ₹8,58,400 in cash inside a bag in the government office of Executive Engineer Baburao Pawar. The money has been seized for investigation, and further inquiries are underway to determine the source of the funds.
The investigation is ongoing, and the accused officials will face legal proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
