Cop escapes ACB trap, flees with marked notes

Sub-inspector Dharmu Rathod of Sakinaka station smelt a rat when he was handed over bribe; he took the cash and fled before sleuths could nab him

Cop escapes ACB trap, flees with marked notes

Sub-inspector Dharmu Rathod of Sakinaka station smelt a rat when he was handed over bribe; he took the cash and fled before sleuths could nab him

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is hunting for a sub-inspector attached to the Sakinaka police station for
taking a bribe of Rs 10,000. Dharmu Rathod has been declared absconding for the last three days.

The accused fled when he got wind of the fact that he was being
set up, after he touched the powdered currency

Earlier in the week, ACB officials received a complaint from Deepak Gaikwad, a local, alleging that Sub-Inspector Rathod had demandedu00a0 a bribe of Rs 10,000 to slow down investigations in a property case involving him. In his complaint, Gaikwad even mentioned that he had paid the first installment of Rs 4,000 to the inspector.

The trap
In an attempt to nab Rathod, ACB officials formed a team and instructed the complainant to negotiate the bribe, to make him believe that the deal was real.

Commenting on the trap laid, an officer said, "The complainant followed our instructions and we arranged for marked currency for the complainant to hand over to Rathod."

On December 12, the ACB officials waited outside the police station and sent the complainant to Rathod so that the money could exchange hands. However, the case took a different turn while the officials were waiting for the go-ahead from the complainant.
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"Even though Rathod accepted the money, he somehow got wind of the trap, and soon after counting the cash, he fled, telling Gaikwad that he would return soon," added the officer.u00a0

The ACB officials suspect that Rathod realised that the officials were lying in wait for him after he touched the powdered currency.

Fearing an arrest, he fled with the bribe money. ACB officials added that they have also deployed a team of officials outside his residence in MIDC hoping Rathod would return soon. Authorities have also informed the Deputy Commissioner of police about Rathod's escape and have booked him on charges of
corruption.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X) Suhas Varake said, "We have been informed by the ACB of the trap and accordingly a report has been tabled to the office of the additional commissioner of police. Once it reaches the commissioner, appropriate action will be taken against the officer."