Nagpur: An Assistant Police Inspector (API) attached to the Koradi Police Station, Nagpur, was arrested red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on charges of accepting a Rs two lakh bribe in a land deal of Rs 5 crore. The accused officer Pramanand Dadarao Katre (43) allegedly demanded the bribe to refrain from taking action against a person allegedly accused of fraudulently registering a sale deed for agricultural land.
The ACB team, led by Deputy Superintendent Roshan Yadav, laid a trap at Koradi police station and caught the officer red-handed while accepting the bribe.
In this case, a land parcel valued at over Rs 5 crore was sold by a family. Following the sale, one of the sellers passed away. Relatives of the deceased seller subsequently demanded additional payment from the buyer, despite the initial deal being finalised. As the buyer was not ready for the demand, a lawyer representing the deceased seller’s family filed a complaint at the Koradi Police Station.
API Pramanand Katre was assigned to investigate the complaint. During the inquiry, he allegedly demanded Rs two lakh from the buyer and promised to refrain from initiating action against him. The buyer then approached the ACB and filed a complaint. The ACB laid a trap and caught API Katre accepting the bribe on Wednesday.
The ACB officials are conducting searches at the residence of API Katre. Under the guidance of SP Dr Digambar Pradhan, Addl SP Sanjay Purandare, the arrest was made by SDPO Roshan Yadav, WPI Priti Shende, PI Nilesh Urkude, and staff including Bharat Thakur, Bhagwat Wankhede, Hemraj Ganjre, Deepali Bhagat, Vijay Solanke and others.
The arrest sent shock waves through the police department, with sources indicating that several other officers are under the ACB radar. Katre’s mobile phone was seized, and his house was searched, but nothing incriminating was found.