2 Maha officials arrested for seeking bribe from rape victim's

Two Maharashtra government officials were arrested here for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe from the mother of a rape victim in return for processing a compensation cheque, an Anti Corruption Bureau official said today.

The complainant's seven-year-old daughter had been raped last year and as part of the state government's Manodhairya scheme, they were to get a compensation cheque of Rs 2 lakh, he said.

"Child protection officer of Pusad Panchayat Pravin Kisan Wanole (28) demanded Rs 5,000 from the victim's mother to clear this cheque," the official said.

Following a complaint lodged by the woman, the Yavatmal unit of the ACB laid a trap yesterday and arrested Sadashiv Shivaji Wanole, a surveyor with the state Irrigation department in Mahagaon, when he came to collect money on behalf of the child protection officer, he said.

The child protection officer, part of the state government's Child Welfare department, was arrested subsequently, he added.