Gujarat bribery case: Ex-Ahmedabad chief fire officer, co-accused remanded till Aug 12
Ahmedabad, Aug 8 (IANS) A local court has granted remand of Amit Dongre, the former Probationary Chief Fire Officer of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), and his co-accused until August 12 in connection with an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case involving an alleged Rs 36,000 bribe for approving fire NOCs.
Dongre and the other accused have been remanded until Wednesday, August 12, at 5 p.m., according to the latest development in the case.
The ACB had arrested Dongre, 47, and Bhavsinh Zala, 31, following a trap on August 7.
The bureau alleged that Rs 36,000 was demanded through Zala, a private individual, for approval of Fire No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) relating to six different buildings in Ahmedabad. The alleged demand amounted to Rs 6,000 for each NOC.
According to the ACB, the complainant works as a Fire Safety Officer and provides fire safety-related services to buildings in Ahmedabad.
Applications for the six fire NOCs had been submitted through the state government portal. After the alleged demand was made, the complainant approached the Vadodara City ACB Police Station.
The bureau subsequently laid a trap near Yash Equa Complex at Vijay Cross Roads in the Memnagar area of the city, in the presence of two government panch witnesses.
During the operation, Zala allegedly held a purposeful conversation with the complainant and accepted the Rs 36,000. He was caught red-handed, and the entire alleged bribe amount was recovered.
The ACB further stated that Zala contacted Dongre by telephone during the trap and that Dongre engaged in a purposeful conversation and expressed his consent regarding the bribe amount.
Based on its preliminary findings, the bureau alleged that Zala demanded and accepted the bribe at Dongre’s instance and that both accused abetted each other in the alleged offence.
Following the ACB action, the AMC terminated Dongre’s appointment with immediate effect.
He had been serving as the Probationary Chief Fire Officer in the civic body’s Fire and Emergency Services Department.
“The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has a fire services portal containing records of all the NOCs issued. We will examine the bank account trails of both accused and their conversations. Further investigation will reveal the extent of their involvement,” officials said.
The remand will remain in force until 5 p.m. on August 12 as the ACB continues its investigation into the alleged bribe demand and the roles of the two accused.
–IANS
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