Pune ACB Nabs Private Individual for Attempting Bribery in Fraud Case Investigation

Pune: The Pune Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) apprehended a private individual allegedly soliciting a bribe from a complainant involved in a fraud case investigation. The culprit, identified as Tushar Sheetal Bankar, a 30-year-old resident of Ambegaon Pathar, Pune, was caught red-handed accepting a sum of Rs 25,000 in bribe money. The incident transpired at Swami Samarth Snacks Centre in Sukhsagar Nagar, Katraj area, on Wednesday, February 21.

The sordid affair unfolded following a complaint lodged by a 42-year-old man with the Pune ACB. A case of online fraud was registered against the plaintiff at the Cyber Unit of Bharti Vidyapeeth Police Station, with Police Sub-Inspector Sanjay Narle assigned to investigate the matter. However, Tushar Bankar allegedly leveraged the situation, demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant in exchange for assistance in resolving the case.

Refusing to succumb to corruption, the complainant promptly escalated the matter to the Pune ACB office. Following thorough verification conducted by the ACB team on February 13th and 20th, it became apparent that Bankar persistently pressed for the bribe, stipulating staged payments and initially demanding Rs 25,000 as the first instalment.

Responding to the gravity of the situation, a dedicated ACB team orchestrated a trap near Swami Samarth Snack Centre, Sukhsagar Nagar Chowk, on Wednesday. Bankar was apprehended red-handed while accepting the Rs 25,000 bribe from the complainant.

A case has been registered against Tushar Sheetal Bankar under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Bharti University Police Station, with further investigations being spearheaded by Pune ACB Police Inspector Pravin Nimbalkar. This action was executed under the auspices of Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe and Additional Superintendent of Police Dr. Sheetal Janve.