Rs.28 lakh bribery case: ACB probes involvement of others in allged graft
Assistant Police Inspector (API) Vaishali Totewar, who was caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday in an alleged Rs 28 lakh bribery case, was produced before the Anti-Corruption Court Shivajinagar on Sunday.
The court remanded her to police custody till May 6.
The investigation is ongoing, with ACB officials continuing searches and probing the involvement of other individuals linked to the case.
Speaking on the case, Shirish Sardeshpande, Superintendent of ACB, Pune division, said that searches were conducted at the accused officer's residence, and another individual involved in the case has also been arrested. He added that the ACB had obtained special permission from the court on Saturday evening to proceed with further legal action.
"The accused was produced before the court on Sunday and has been remanded to police custody till May 6. Further investigation is underway," he said.
Totewar, 49, was attached to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Pune City Police Crime Branch. She had recently been promoted and transferred as a Police Inspector to the Mumbai Railway Police and was officially relieved from her posting at the EOW on Friday, just a day before the ACB trap was executed.
According to ACB officials, Totewar was handling inquiries into several complaint applications while serving in the EOW. During the investigation of a land-related complaint, she allegedly demanded money from the complainant in return for conducting the inquiry in the complainant's favour.
Investigators stated that the accused officer had allegedly accepted Rs 2 lakh initially from the complainant. Later, she allegedly demanded an additional Rs 30 lakh to influence the inquiry process. After discussions and negotiations, the alleged bribe amount was reportedly settled at Rs 28 lakh.
After verification, the ACB formed a trap led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Neeta Misal. On Saturday, the team laid a trap near the entrance of Hotel Conrad on Mangaldas Road, where Sambhaji Chavan (47) allegedly arrived to collect the bribe money on behalf of Totewar.
ACB officials caught Chavan red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 28 lakh in cash from the complainant. Based on the operation and evidence collected during the trap, Totewar was subsequently detained and taken into custody.
Following the arrests, multiple ACB teams simultaneously conducted searches at locations linked to the accused officer. One team searched Totewar's office room at the Pune Police Commissionerate, while another team carried out a search at her residence. Officials said that several documents and materials related to the investigation are being examined.
The ACB registered a case against both accused under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials said further investigation is underway to determine whether any additional persons were involved in the alleged bribery network and to examine other complaint applications handled by Totewar during her tenure in the EOW.