Representative image for bribe.
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Thane: A revenue official from Maharashtra’s Thane district, who had demanded a bribe from a company, is absconding after the Anti-Corruption Bureau apprehended a private person acting as his conduit, an official said on Friday.
The firm’s owners recently purchased 5 acres of land at Shenve village in Shahapur taluka and applied to talati (revenue official) Dyaneshwar Devidas Shisode to get its details updated in government records, said ACB Deputy Commissioner of Police Harshal Chavan.
However, Shisode demanded Rs 8 lakh through middleman Ashok Dattatraya Varkute (62) to get the work done, he said.
After receiving a complaint, the ACB laid a trap and nabbed Varkute on Thursday when he accepted a bag containing Rs 2 lakh cash and bundles of dummy notes.
However, the revenue official got wind of the ACB action and went underground, the official said.
A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said, adding that efforts are being made to trace the absconding talati.