Pune: Excise Inspector Arrested for Allegedly Demanding Rs 22 Lakh Bribe for Liquor Licence
Pune, 11th August 2026: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested an inspector from the Maharashtra State Excise Department for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 22 lakh to facilitate the approval of a liquor licence application.
The arrested inspector has been identified as Jitendra Patil. A case has been registered against him at the Yerwada police station.
According to the ACB, a 47-year-old businessman approached the bureau with a complaint against Patil. The complainant works as a licence consultant and had submitted an application to the State Excise Department on behalf of a company for an FL-3 liquor licence.
Patil allegedly demanded money from the complainant to forward the application file for approval. He allegedly demanded Rs 12 lakh for approval of the liquor licence and Rs 8 lakh for approval of the same company’s microbrewery application, initially totalling Rs 20 lakh.
After receiving the complaint, the ACB began verifying the allegations. Verification was carried out on April 13 and May 21 and 22. During the verification process, the ACB said it found that Patil had demanded a bribe of Rs 22 lakh from the complainant.
The amount was subsequently negotiated, and the demand was allegedly reduced to Rs 11 lakh following the negotiations, according to the investigation.
The ACB subsequently registered a case against Patil under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and arrested him. Further investigation into the case is underway.
