Key Takeaways
- The Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted a raid inside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, and caught two employees red-handed while accepting a bribe at the FDA office.
- The bribe was negotiated to be 35,000, although the clerk had demanded 50,000, and the FDA office has been sealed by the authorities.
- The case pertains to a medical shop owner from Latur whose license had been cancelled, and the authority to renew it rests with the concerned minister.
Mumbai: In a dramatic operation on Friday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap inside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, and caught two employees red-handed while accepting a bribe at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) office.
The office which functions under the jurisdiction of Minister Narhari Zirwal, has been sealed by the authorities.
The case pertains to a medical shop owner from Latur whose license had been cancelled. The authority to renew a cancelled license rests with the concerned minister after due hearing and review.
According to officials, a clerk identified as Rajendra Dherang from Minister Zirwal’s office allegedly demanded 50,000 from the complainant to revoke the suspension of the medical license. The shop owner subsequently approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau and lodged a complaint.
The ACB laid a trap inside Mantralaya and caught Dherang while accepting a negotiated bribe amount of 35,000. Another individual from the office was also taken into custody.
During preliminary questioning, the accused reportedly claimed that the bribe was accepted on the instructions of the minister’s private secretary, Ramdas Gade
