Palghar News: Sarpanch Caught Taking ₹19,000 Bribe For Clearing Panchayat Office Bill

Palghar, Maharashtra: In a major crackdown, the Thane unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Sarpanch Shobha Sunil Gavari (36 years) from the  Saprond Magathane Group Gram Panchayat in Wada taluka for accepting a bribe of Rs. 19,000. She had allegedly demanded a two per cent "cut" for clearing the bill related to the expansion of the panchayat office.

The bribe was allegedly solicited in connection with the bill of a contractor for the expansion work of the Gram Panchayat office. Gavari had demanded 2% of the approved bill amount, totaling Rs. 20,000, from the contractor responsible for the project. However, reluctant to pay the illegal amount, the contractor lodged a formal complaint with the ACB’s Thane division.

Following the complaint, a verification process was conducted on April 24, where officials confirmed the allegations. Subsequently, on April 25, the ACB team laid a trap in Saprond village. During the operation, Gavari accepted Rs. 19,000 as a negotiated bribe from the complainant. A search conducted immediately after the transaction resulted in the recovery of the bribe money and a mobile phone from Gavari.

An offense has been registered against the accused at Wada Police Station. The court has remanded Shobha Gavari to police custody until Monday.