Gadchiroli Jan. 5 (District Correspondent) A Range Forest Officer (RFO) from Perimili Range in Aheri taluka was caught red handed by the Anti-Corruption bureau (ACB) while accepting a bribe of Rs. 5 lakhs from a tractor owner to release his vehicle. The name of the forest range officer has been given as Pramod Anandrao Janekar (age 38).
According to ACB, a tractor used for illegal excavation of murrhum for road construction work between tumargunda and Kasampalli was seized by the RFO and a fine of Rs. 72 lakhs was also charged upon the tractor owner for this illegal work. The forest range officer then demanded a bribe money of Rs 10 lakh and the deal was finalized in Rs. 5 lakhs for the task of releasing the tractor and reducing the fine amount.
The tractor owner, however, did not want to give the bribe, hence he approached the anti-corruption department and lodged a complaint. The ACB men then prepared a trap and caught the RFO red-handed while accepting the bribe money at his government residence at Perimili last night. A cash of Rs. 85,000 was also found at the residence of the RFO during the raid.
Pramod Janekar was handcuffed by the authorities after accepting Rs 5 lakh as a bribe from the tractor owner. A case has been registered in Permili Police
Station in this regard under relevant sections of the Anti-Corruption Act.
The operation was conducted by Deputy Superintendent of ACB Anamika Mirzapure, Police Inspector Sridhar Bhosle, Assistant Sub-Inspector Sunil Peddiwar, Constable Naresh Kasturwar, Kishore Jaunjarkar, Sandeep Ghormode, Sandeep Udan under the guidance of Superintendent of ACB Rahul Mankikar and Additional SP Sachin Kadam.
This is the first incident of bribe of such a huge amount in the recent past, it should be mentioned here.
