Two pollution control board officials held for bribe

Two senior officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) were allegedly caught while accepting bribe of Rs 1.60 lakh to issue a consent letter for a drug factory, ACB official said today.

Ashok Fulchand Deshmane (57), regional officer and Achyut Sheshrao Nandwate (45), field officer of the MPCB were apprehended yesterday by the anti corruption bureau (ACB) at their office in Thane, the official said.

A drug factory owner had approached MPCB for a consent letter. However, Deshmane and Nandwate demanded bribe of Rs 1.60 lakhs on March 1, he said.

The factory owner then lodged the complaint against both the officers with the ACB.
 

A trap was laid at the MPCB office in Thane where Deshmane was caught while allegedly accepting Rs 10,000 and Nandwate with Rs 1.5 lakh, the official added.