Ahmedabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday trapped a talati-cum-mantri and his aide while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 9,800 in Detroj village of Ahmedabad district. Both were caught red-handed in a trap set at a private establishment after a complaint from a vigilant citizen.The accused were identified as Ketan Dharjiya, talati-cum-mantri of Detroj gram panchayat, and Jayantibhai Dhudaji Thakor, a temporary peon at the same panchayat. Dharjiya, a Class III govt employee, is a resident of Viramgam, while Thakor lives in Detroj.According to the ACB, the complainant approached the Detroj gram panchayat to assess seven houses in a residential society. During the process, Dharjiya allegedly demanded money in addition to the official tax. The demand was Rs 1,600 per house towards tax and an additional Rs 1,400 per house as illegal gratification, totalling Rs 3,000 per house. For seven houses, the total demand came to Rs 21,000.Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, following which a trap was arranged on Feb 5. During the operation, Dharjiya allegedly sent his aide, Thakor, to collect the money from the complainant at Khodiyar Agro Centre in Detroj. According to the plan, Rs 11,200 was to be collected towards house tax and Rs 9,800 as a bribe.ACB officials said the bribe amount of Rs 9,800 was accepted and immediately recovered during the trap. Both accused were caught on the spot, allegedly acting in collusion. A case was registered under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and further investigation is underway to ascertain whether similar demands were made from others.
