31 March,2026 03:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Abhitash Singh
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A 29-year-old woman junior engineer from the Public Works Department (PWD) in Raigad was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh from a contractor for clearing his pending bill.
The accused, identified as Shraddha Bohade, was posted as a Class-II junior engineer at the Murud sub-division of the PWD. According to ACB officials, she had initially demanded Rs 3 lakh from the complainant, a contractor, to prepare and process the final bill estimate for a road work project completed in 2024.
The project involved constructing slab drains along the Murud-Ekdara-Rajapuri-Khokri road stretch. Despite completing the work, the contractor's bill was allegedly withheld, prompting him to approach the ACB on March 28 with a complaint regarding the bribe demand.
Following the complaint, the ACB Raigad-Alibaug unit conducted a verification exercise between 12 pm and 1:30 pm on March 30, during which the accused allegedly reiterated her demand. The amount was later negotiated down to Rs 2.5 lakh.
Subsequently, a trap was laid at the PWD sub-division office in Murud the same day. At around 5:40 pm, Bohade was caught accepting the bribe amount in the presence of panch witnesses.
Officials confirmed that a case has been registered at Murud police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigation is underway.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of senior ACB officials, including Superintendent of Police Shivraj Patil, Additional SP Bhagwat Sonawane and Additional SP Suhas Shinde. The trap was executed by a team led by DySP Sarita Bhosale, along with inspectors Nishant Dhanwade and Narayan Sarode.
The ACB has once again appealed to citizens to come forward and report instances of corruption, assuring strict action against erring public servants.
