Three policemen arrested for graft in Thane

Three policemen, including a sub- inspector, were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said on Wednesday.

An offence has been registered against the trio under section 7 (public servant taking gratification) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 at Mahatma Phule Police Station in Thane district's Kalyan taluka, additional superintendent of ACB Thane Mukund Hatote said.

Sub-inspector Harish Kamble (34), police havaldar Ankush Naravane (57) and police naik Bharat Khade (49) allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from the complainant in return of not registering a false case of transporting gutkha against him, the official said.

After negotiations, the bribe amount was settled at Rs 1.5 lakh and the complainant paid an advance of Rs 1 lakh to the trio, he said.

The complainant then approached the Thane unit of ACB, which laid a trap at Waldhuni police station on Tuesday, and caught the trio while accepting Rs 50,000 from the complainant, the official added.