The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted two successful trap operations in South Gujarat on Wednesday, apprehending a Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) engineer and a police constable for allegedly accepting bribes. The arrests highlight ongoing corruption issues within civic and law enforcement agencies.
First Trap: SMC Engineer Caught in Surat
In Surat, ACB officials arrested Jignesh Modi, 55, an assistant engineer with the SMC posted in the Udhna Zone, while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 45,000 outside the Udhna Zone office. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Modi had initially demanded Rs 50,000 to clear a payment for water pipeline-laying work and later agreed to accept Rs 45,000. The complainant approached the ACB, which set up a trap and caught Modi during the transaction.
Investigators revealed that Modi had previously been caught in a bribery case by the ACB in 2021 while posted in the Rander Zone of SMC. In that incident, he was allegedly trapped while accepting Rs 15,000 to approve a drainage connection.
Second Trap: Police Constable Held in Valsad
In a separate operation in Valsad district, the ACB booked Kishore Gavit, an assistant sub-inspector, and Ramesh Bhoya, a constable, both posted at the Pangarbari outpost under Dharampur police station. Bhoya was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 5,000 on a public road near the Dharampur police station.
According to the complaint, the duo had demanded Rs 8,000 from an accused in a prohibition case in exchange for not keeping him in lock-up after his arrest and to avoid harassment. The complainant had reportedly already paid Rs 3,000 when he was released on bail and was later contacted by the accused to hand over the remaining amount.
ACB officials stated that the complainant spoke to Gavit over the phone, after which Bhoya was sent to collect the money. During the trap, Bhoya was apprehended at the spot, while Gavit managed to flee.
