Panaji (Goa): In a major relief for the suspended Additional Collector Sabaji Shetye, the Special Court under Prevention of Corruption Act granted him bail this evening. Shetye, who was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a local, who had earlier approached the anti corruption branch with a complaint against the officer.
The officer was left red-faced when the ACB sleuths laid a successful trap in the office which has 50-80 employees working there. Shetye had demanded Rs 1.50 lakh from the complainant, to grant NOC for explosive storage license, and Rs 25,000 was just a part of the total bribe amount.
“The complainant had approached the ACB on May 19 when the FIR was registered. After a thorough field work, the ACB laid a trap to catch the officer red handed in his very office. On the day Shetye called up the complainant with the bribe amount, the latter informed the ACB sleuths. The officer was arrested after being caught red-handed,” said a source.
The ACB sleuths had seized his trouser in which the alleged corrupt officer had hidden the cash-envelop, and asked to get a new pair from home. He was remanded to five days custody and interrogated in the office of ACB at Altinho. On June 8, he applied for bail which was rejected after which he filed a fresh application. As he is now on bail, the court has asked him to appear before the investigation officer whenever summoned for investigation and not to tamper with the evidence and witness, who is also the whistleblower in the case. “He was released on a bail bond of Rs one lakh and one surety of like amount,” said the source. The Vigilance department on the other hand suspended him pending disciplinary inquiry.
The officer was left red-faced when the ACB sleuths laid a successful trap in the office which has 50-80 employees working there. Shetye had demanded Rs 1.50 lakh from the complainant, to grant NOC for explosive storage license, and Rs 25,000 was just a part of the total bribe amount.
“The complainant had approached the ACB on May 19 when the FIR was registered. After a thorough field work, the ACB laid a trap to catch the officer red handed in his very office. On the day Shetye called up the complainant with the bribe amount, the latter informed the ACB sleuths. The officer was arrested after being caught red-handed,” said a source.
The ACB sleuths had seized his trouser in which the alleged corrupt officer had hidden the cash-envelop, and asked to get a new pair from home. He was remanded to five days custody and interrogated in the office of ACB at Altinho. On June 8, he applied for bail which was rejected after which he filed a fresh application. As he is now on bail, the court has asked him to appear before the investigation officer whenever summoned for investigation and not to tamper with the evidence and witness, who is also the whistleblower in the case. “He was released on a bail bond of Rs one lakh and one surety of like amount,” said the source. The Vigilance department on the other hand suspended him pending disciplinary inquiry.
Team TNV
