Dindori sarpanch, her husband caught taking bribe

Nashik: The anti-corruption bureau in Nashik arrested a sarpanch of two group gram panchayats in Dindori taluka and her husband while they accepted a combined bribe of Rs 15,000 from a deputy sarpanch.A case was registered against the couple under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Mhasrul police station.ACB officials said the complainant was the deputy sarpanch of the two group gram panchayats. They said a no-confidence resolution was passed against the deputy sarpanch by members of the gram panchayat, after which the sarpanch and her husband demanded Rs 50,000 from the deputy sarpanch — for themselves and other gram panchayat members — to do away with the no confidence resolution.ACB officials said the couple later settled for Rs 25,000, following which the deputy sarpanch approached the ACB with a complaint. After verifying the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and arrested the sarpanch while she accepted Rs 14,000, and caught her husband while he accepted Rs 1,000. ACB officials said both were arrested and the case is under further investigation.ACB officials appealed to citizens to inform them if any public servant or public representative demanded a bribe for doing any work that is part of their duty. They said the Nashik region of the ACB registered 138 bribery trap cases last year, the highest in the state, and that Nashik also topped the state in 2024 with 151 cases registered.