Cop flees on two-wheeler from Maharashtra ACB trap with bribe amount
Thane, Oct 25: A constable Thursday escaped on a two-wheeler along with Rs 50,000 in bribe money from a trap laid by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau here, an official said.
An ACB official said a scrap dealer had complained that constable Padmakar Asawale (47), posted at Ambernath police station, had on October 15 demanded Rs 80,000 per month for not taking action against the former's trucks.
"We laid a trap today at Sahyadri Nagar Road in which the accused accepted a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant. However, when we tried to pin him down, he pushed an official and fled on a two-wheeler with the bribe amount," the official said.
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Court grants statutory bail to two more accused in Sabarimala gold loss cases
Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A court here on Thursday granted statutory bail to more accused in two cases related to the alleged gold loss from the Sabarimala temple.
The Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit CS granted bail to Chennai-based Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam in connection with cases involving gold loss from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) gold plates and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) at the temple.
The duo was granted bail in both cases after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to file charge sheets within 90 days of their arrest.
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Pankaj Bhandari is the 12th accused in the Dwarapalaka case and the ninth accused in the Sreekovil door frame case, while Govardhan Roddam is the 13th accused in the Dwarapalaka case and the 10th accused in the Sreekovil door frame case.
With the latest development, as many as 10 accused have now been released from jail after securing bail in the Sabarimala cases.
According to the investigation, the artefacts from Sabarimala were taken to Smart Creations in 2019 for replating, after which the SIT alleged that gold was lost.
Govardhan is also said to be a close associate of the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty.
The SIT, following searches at the residences and offices of the accused, had recovered gold allegedly equivalent to the reported losses from Sabarimala.
The SIT has informed the Kerala High Court that charge sheets in the cases will be filed before the end of March.
