Pune: Kondhwa Policeman Arrested for Accepting Rs 5,000 Bribe to Help Accused in Power Theft Case
Kondhwa, 14th October 2025: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested a police officer from Kondhwa for accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 from a complainant to avoid arrest in a case of electricity theft. The court has remanded the accused officer to two days of police custody.
According to ACB officials, a case of electricity theft had been registered against the complainant at Kondhwa Police Station. In connection with this, police officer Somnath Bapu Maharanwar (34), a resident of Shewalwadi, allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 from the complainant to prevent his arrest.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB and filed a formal complaint on October 10. Subsequent verification by the bureau confirmed that Maharanwar had indeed demanded a bribe.
Further investigation revealed that retired police sub-inspector Yuvraj Krishna Farande (59) had encouraged Maharanwar to demand the bribe. Following the verification, both have been booked under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police (ACB-Puen range) Shirish Sardeshpande, Additional SP Ajit Patil, and Arjun Bhosale, by a team led by Assistant Commissioner Neeta Misal and Police Inspector Asawari Shedge.
