Top Maharashtra Official Taken into Custody for Taking Bribe of Rs 2 Cr
The CBI has arrested the Chief Post-Master General of Maharashtra and Goa for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 2 crore for issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for construction of a post office in neighbouring Thane district, reported Outlook India.
According to report, Manjit Singh Bali, who is a 197 8 batch officer of the Indian Postal Servies, was taken into custody by the sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau of the CBI while allegedly accepting the bribe amount.
The CBI seized a sum of Rs 34 lakh, USD 10722, 3050 UK Pounds and 3470 Euro from his South Mumbai residence, said report.
Report said that Bali has demanded bribe for issuing NOC for the development of land at Mira Bhayendar in Thane district.
“The 2000 sq mt land is owned by a private builder who had agreed to allot 25 per cent of the land for the construction of a post office. This, however, required an NOC from the postal department,” CBI Joint Director (Western Region) Rishiraj Singh was quoted as saying while talking to reporters.
In addition, CBI arrested a father-son duo, who owns a consultancy firm in South Mumbai. Arun Dalmiya and Harsh Dalmiya were the middlemen who were dealing with Bali and the complainant, said report.
CBI said that Rita Shah, the complainant and an ex-corporator of Mira Bhayendar, approached Bali in January this year with a request to expedite the issuance of NOC for the construction of a post office in the area, said report.
“A few days later, Harsh contacted Shah and asked her to meet him at his office in South Mumbai. When Shah went to his office, Harsh demanded Rs two crore from her out of which Rs 1.50 crore was for Bali,” Singh was quoted as saying.
Shah then approached the ACB and lodged a complaint, report said.
Yesterday, Shah met Harsh and Arun and handed over the money to them who in turn met Bali at Colaba in South Mumbai and gave him the money,” the CBI official was quoted as saying.
Report said that the CBI is conducting searches at Bali’s residence in Mumbai, Faridabad and New Delhi.
