Two VMC officials, local scribe held for bribery

Two officials of Vadodara Municipal Corporation and an editor of a local weekly were arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau today for allegedly accepting bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a shop owner, a senior officer said.
The accused are identified as Dinesh Variya, a Surveyor and Chirag Rana, Additional Engineer, both attached to Town Planning department of the civic body, and Naisharg Joshi.
ACB Deputy Director P R Gehlot said Joshi had complained to VMC claiming illegal construction of shops in Diwalipura locality of the city.
He had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from the complainant, a shop keeper, for withdrawing his plaint.

The deal was finally settled at Rs 6 lakh, which were to be paid in instalments.
After the shop owner approached the ACB, a trap was laid at his shop. Joshi was arrested when he was accepting Rs 1 lakh whereas Variya and Rana were arrested when they came to the spot after Joshi called them.
Variya and Rana have been suspended tonight, VMC commissioner Vinod Rao told PTI.