Gujarat ACB nets Ahmedabad Chief Fire Officer, middleman in bribery case

Ahmedabad, Aug 7 (IANS) The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday trapped a private intermediary while allegedly accepting a Rs 36,000 bribe for the approval of fire no-objection certificates (NOCs) for six buildings in Ahmedabad, and subsequently initiated legal action against the city’s Chief Fire Officer after investigators found prima facie evidence linking him to the alleged demand.

According to the ACB, the complainant, described as a “vigilant citizen”, works as a Fire Safety Officer (FSO) and provides fire safety-related services to buildings across Ahmedabad.

The complainant had submitted applications through the state government’s online portal seeking approval of fire NOCs for six buildings.

The ACB alleged that the second accused, Bhavsinh Zala, 31, a private individual, demanded Rs 6,000 for each NOC, amounting to a total of Rs 36,000, in return for securing approval of the applications.

Instead of paying the amount, the complainant approached the Vadodara City ACB Police Station and lodged a complaint. Based on the complaint, the ACB organised a trap on Friday in the presence of two independent government panch witnesses.

The operation was conducted near Yash Equa Complex at Vijay Cross Roads in the Memnagar area of Ahmedabad.

During the trap, Zala allegedly held a conversation related to the bribe with the complainant before accepting Rs 36,000, following which he was caught red-handed by the ACB team.

The bureau said its preliminary investigation also implicated Amitkumar Dongre, 47, the Chief Fire Officer of Ahmedabad and a Class-I officer.

According to the ACB, Zala contacted Dongre by telephone during the operation, and the conversation allegedly indicated the officer’s consent regarding the bribe amount.

The ACB stated that its findings suggest Zala demanded and accepted the bribe at the instance of Dongre, and that both accused abetted each other in the alleged commission of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

“The trap was led by A.N. Prajapati, Police Inspector at the Vadodara City ACB Police Station, under the supervision of Assistant Director B.M. Patel of the Vadodara ACB Unit. Deputy Director of Vadodara Range, Baldev Desai, was the officer in charge of the operation. Legal proceedings against both accused are underway,” the ACB said.

–IANS

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