FDA inspector booked for demanding Rs 15 lakh bribe in gutka transport case

Kolhapur: A case was registered with the Laxmipuri police station on Tuesday night against an officer of the Food and Drug Administration from Kolhapur, currently posted in Solapur, for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 15 lakh from an intermediary to prevent action against a truck owner and driver in a gutka transportation case.The Anti-Corruption Bureau took the action after verifying a complaint filed by a hotelier from Jaysingpur with the Lokayukta in Mumbai. The recording of a WhatsApp call demanding a bribe was accepted during verification.According to a complaint filed by ACB deputy superintendent of police Vaishnavi Patil, on April 17, 2023, an FDA inspector caught a truck transporting gutka at Mangalwedha in Solapur. The inspector contacted the complainant hotelier through a WhatsApp call and demanded Rs 15 lakh as a bribe. The hotelier recorded the WhatsApp call. The hotelier eventually filed a written complaint with the state Lokayukta in Mumbai.Vaishnavi Patil said, "The Lokayukta took cognisance of the complaint and sent it to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kolhapur, for further action."