Panchayat clerk arrested for taking bribe

A clerk with a grampanchayat in neighbouring Raigad district was arrested by ACB for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 for clearing pending bills of a contractor.
According to Srinivas Ghatge, SP ACB (Thane), clerk Suresh K Shelke was arrested last evening after he was caught red handed receiving the sum from the complainant contractor behind a news paper office in Alibaug in the district.
The contractor had undertaken certain works at the grampanchayat of Veshvi in Wadgaon, Alibaug. After completion, he made an application for the payments over Rs 1 lakh including a pending amount of Rs 75,385, ACB said.

Shelke demanded Rs 2,500 from the complainant for clearing the bills but later settled for Rs 2,000.
The complainant then approached Alibag unit of the ACB which laid a trap and caught the clerk yesterday.
An offence under sections 7, 13(1)(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 has been registered against the clerk with the local police station and further probe was on, ACB added.