Mumbai: BMC official booked for accepting Rs 50 lakh bribe

A57-year-old employee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs 50 lakh to stop action against a company for illegal construction in the western suburb of Andheri here, an official said on Saturday.

A team from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught an executive engineer posted at the BMC's K-east ward while accepting the bribe amount at his office on Friday, he said.

The civic body had on October 13 issued a notice to the company for the illegal construction of a shed, the official said. The complainant, who is working with the company, had submitted a reply on October 19, but the accused official was not satisfied, following which the civic body initiated the action of removing the shed on October 28, he said. The accused official called the complainant to his office and allegedly demanded Rs 50 lakh to stop the removal of the shed, the official said.

A case under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused official and further probe is underway, he added.