The Navi Mumbai unit of the Anti Corruption Bureau arrested three constables attached to the Vashi police station on Saturday for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹40,000 from a 26-year-old Vashi resident.
The complainant has claimed that he earlier paid them ₹60,000.
The constables, Sanjay Sahebrao Agone, Santosh Rajendra Avaghade and Pradip Rameshwar Rathod, had allegedly demanded the money from the Sector 7 resident in exchange for not booking him under the Copyright Act for using pirated video editing software for commercial purpose.
“The complainant is a video editing professional, who operates from the first floor of his rented house and lives on the ground floor. The constables had threatened to arrest him for using pirated software and for using his residence for a commercial purpose despite having a residential rental agreement. He said they initially demanded ₹3 lakh, which they later reduced to ₹1 lakh,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramesh Chavan, Navi Mumbai ACB, said.
Partial payment claim
The complainant said the constables made the demand on September 19, and he paid them ₹60,000 the same day. From September 22, they started asking for the rest, and the complainant approached the ACB. “In our investigation, we verified that the constables were indeed demanding ₹40,000 and then registered the case,” Mr. Chavan said.
The Vashi police, in their internal inquiry, have found that the complainant had terminated two employees a few months ago. An officer from the police station said, “The employees approached one of the constables for help, saying that their salaries for three months were pending. The constables then visited the complainant’s house and accused him of using pirated software and the commercial use of residential space.” The officer said that the constables did not meet the terminated employees at the police station, as they have not received any complaint there. “They probably met at the Sector 7 police chowky,” he said.
The constables have been booked under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
