Bribery case: Former Ahmedabad fire officer’s remand extended by four more days
Ahmedabad, Aug 12 (IANS) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has secured four more days’ remand of Amit Dongre, the former Probationary Chief Fire Officer of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), in connection with the alleged Rs 36,000 bribe case involving approval of fire safety no objection certificates (NOCs) for six buildings in the city.
The Ahmedabad ACB court granted the additional remand on Wednesday, with the agency seeking custody to carry out a search of a bank locker linked to Dongre in his hometown of Bhopal.
Dongre will now be taken to Bhopal as part of the search operation, according to the latest development in the case.
The court has also approved a warrant against the second accused, Bhavsinh Zala, and he has been sent to Sabarmati Central Jail.
The case dates back to August 7, when the ACB laid a trap after receiving a complaint from a Fire Safety Officer who provides fire safety-related services to buildings in Ahmedabad.
The complainant had submitted applications through the Gujarat government’s online portal for Fire NOCs for six different buildings.
According to the ACB, a bribe of Rs 36,000, calculated at Rs 6,000 per NOC, was allegedly demanded through Zala, 31, a private individual, for approval of the six NOCs.
During the trap near Yash Equa Complex at Vijay Cross Roads in Memnagar, Zala was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting the entire amount.
The ACB subsequently alleged that Dongre, 47, was involved in the demand.
During the operation, Zala spoke to Dongre over the telephone in a purposeful conversation, during which Dongre allegedly gave his consent regarding the bribe amount.
The bureau’s preliminary findings indicated that Zala had demanded and accepted the money at Dongre’s instance.
Following the trap, the AMC terminated Dongre’s appointment with immediate effect.
At the time of the alleged offence, he was serving as Probationary Chief Fire Officer in the AMC’s Fire and Emergency Services Department.
The latest remand will allow the ACB to conduct the proposed search of Dongre’s bank locker in Bhopal as the investigation into the alleged bribery case continues.
–IANS
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