BMC Official and Two Others Arrested for Corruption

The Mumbai Unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has initiated legal action against a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official and two private individuals for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs 2 crore. The accused, Mandar Ashok Tari, a Designated Officer in the K-East Ward, along with Mohammad Shehzada Mohammad Yasin Shah and Pratik Vijay Pise, reportedly demanded the sum to avoid eviction actions on a complainant's property and to facilitate unauthorized construction. The case emerged when the complainant, who owns a four-storied building with two unauthorized upper floors, refused to pay the bribe. On July 31, 2024, he approached the ACB to report the demand. Following a verification process on August 6, 2024, evidence confirmed Tari's request for the bribe. Subsequently, a trap was set, leading to the arrest of Shah and Pise as they accepted the first installment of Rs 75 lakh from the complainant. In a separate incident, the ACB apprehended Uddhav Garje, a clerk from the Solid Waste Management department in Ghatkopar, for demanding a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a BMC safai worker. The worker, who was eligible for promotion in 2022, reported Garje's demand to the ACB on August 1, 2028. A trap was executed on August 6, 2028, resulting in Garje's arrest while accepting the bribe. Both cases highlight ongoing corruption issues within the BMC.