Special Correspondent
Pune: Three senior officials from the Pune Zilla Parishad’s construction department were caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while accepting a bribe from a contractor. They were arrested for demanding kickbacks in exchange for clearing pending bills for completed projects.
The arrested officials include Executive Engineer (South Division) Baburao Krishna Pawar (57), Deputy Engineer Dattatraya Bhagwanrao Pathare (57), and Junior Engineer Anjali Pramod Bagade. The ACB’s Pune division conducted the operation, and a case has been registered against them under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at Bundgarden Police Station, confirmed Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACB) Dayanand Gawde.
Bribery Demand and Sting Operation
A 57-year-old contractor lodged a complaint with the ACB, stating that he had completed two development projects under a Zilla Parishad tender. However, the officials delayed processing the payment and demanded 2% of the total bill amount as a bribe.
Following the complaint on March 10, 2025, the ACB conducted a verification process on March 11, 2025, and confirmed the bribery demand. A trap was set at the Zilla Parishad office, and officials were caught accepting bribes from the contractor.
Caught Red-Handed
Baburao Pawar was arrested while accepting ₹64,000.
Anjali Bagade directed the contractor to hand over ₹14,000 to Dattatraya Pathare, both of whom were also caught in the act.
During the operation, the ACB also found ₹8,58,400 in cash inside Baburao Pawar’s office bag, which was seized as evidence.
Contractor’s Pending Work Orders
The contractor had received work orders for Khutbav Road to Galandwadi Pandan Shiv Road and Galandwadi Temple to Dnyandev Kadam House Road in Daund Taluka, valued at ₹40 lakh.
The ACB operation was conducted under the guidance of SP Shirish Sardeshpande and Additional SP Dr. Sheetal Janve. The case is currently under investigation by Inspector Kalpesh Jadhav.
