Jalgaon, May 20: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Jalgaon unit has taken significant action against corruption in the cooperative department by registering a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Jagdish Baburao Bari, the Deputy Registrar of the Jalgaon Cooperative Society, and a private individual, Devidas Dhansinh Patil.
According to the ACB, an investigation was underway regarding illegal money lending against the complainant at the office of the Jalgaon Taluka Sub-Registrar of Cooperative Societies. When the complainant visited for the next hearing and to gather information about the investigation, Deputy Registrar Jagdish Bari allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹5 lakh to not file a case against the complainant and his wife, and to send a favorable investigation report. This amount was later negotiated down to ₹3 lakh.
The complainant filed a complaint with the ACB Jalgaon office on May 18. During the verification process, the accused officer confirmed the bribe demand in front of witnesses. The accused also claimed that a negative report was sent previously due to the complainant hiring a lawyer, which harmed them, but assured that a favorable report would now be sent.
As part of the agreed amount, the accused demanded ₹1.5 lakh as the first installment and instructed the complainant to pay this amount to Devidas Dhansinh Patil.
On May 20, the ACB team set up a trap and caught Devidas Patil red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹1.5 lakh from the complainant at the office of the Jalgaon District Urban Cooperative Bank Association Limited, B.J. Market, Jalgaon. The entire bribe amount was seized at the scene.
The operation was supervised by Police Sub-Inspector Yogesh Thakur, while Trap Officer Police Inspector Reshma Avtare was involved in the action. Further investigation into the matter is being conducted by Police Inspector Smita Navghare.
The ACB has urged citizens to report any demands for bribes by government officials to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Deependra Singh Chundawat is a Senior Sub-Editor at Udaipur Kiran, specializing in a wide range of technology topics including mobile phones, applications, gaming, PCs, and wearables. Along with covering the latest tech news, he also creates engaging web stories. Passionate about emerging technologies, he stays up to date with the newest trends and enjoys reading and writing about the latest mobile launches and digital innovations.
