Pune: Junnar-Ambegaon SDO Caught Red-Handed Accepting Rs 2 Lakh Bribe
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Manchar, 27th March 2026: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Pune unit, on Friday arrested Govind Pandharinath Shinde, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Junnar-Ambegaon division, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹2,00,000.
The 46-year-old Class-1 officer was caught during a trap set at his government office in Manchar at approximately 3:03 PM on March 27, 2026.
The complainant, a 48-year-old construction businessman, is a partner in a firm developing a joint venture project in Narayangaon. According to the ACB, the building project was 90% complete, and the complainant had applied for a ‘Partial Completion Certificate’ at the Junnar-Ambegaon SDO office.
While the Town Planning department had already provided a No-Objection Certificate (NOC), Shinde allegedly kept the file pending. When the complainant approached him on March 20, 2026, Shinde allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹5,00,000 to issue the certificate.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the businessman filed a complaint with the ACB Pune unit on March 24. Following a verification process on March 27, the demand was negotiated down to ₹2,00,000.
A trap was subsequently laid at the SDO office in Manchar. Shinde was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of ₹2,00,000 from the complainant.
A case is being registered at the Manchar Police Station, Pune Rural, under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police (ACB) Shirish Sardeshpande, Additional SP Ajit Patil, and Additional SP Arjun Bhosale.
The ACB has appealed to the public to report any demands for bribes by government officials by contacting their helpline numbers or visiting their office.
