BMC engineer takes ₹50 L bribe; arrested

The ACB has found around 1,200 grams of gold jewellery and ₹1.13 crore cash at his residence

MUMBAI: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday arrested an executive engineer attached to the K-East ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Andheri East for allegedly demanding and accepting ₹50 lakh bribe. The ACB has also found around 1,200 grams of gold jewellery and ₹1.13 crore cash at his residence.

The accused was identified as Satish Vishvanath Powar, 57.

According to the ACB Mumbai officials, they had received a complaint from a representative of a company that they had built a shed of 5,000 square feet outside the company premises.

“The BMC’s K-East ward office had issued a notice to the company on October 13 in connection with the shed, claiming that it was illegal. The company replied to the notice on October 19, after which on October 28, the BMC officers began the process of demolishing the shed,” said an ACB Mumbai official. Later, the company representative called up Powar for a meeting.

“In the meeting, Powar demanded ₹50 lakh to stop the BMC action,” said Vijay Patil, ACB Mumbai Chief.

He added that as the complainant did not intend to pay the money, he had approached the ACB on October 31 and on the next day, the demand was verified.

The ACB officers arrested Powar while accepting the cash from the complainant on a road in Mahim late on Friday night.

“During the search, we also found several property documents, which are being analysed. We are also verifying the source of his wealth,” said the ACB officers.

The ACB officers said they had produced Powar before a court, which remanded him to four days police custody.

Satish Vishvanath Powar