Ahmedabad: Chief fire officer in charge of Gandhinagar, Rajesh Patel, was caught accepting a Rs 20,000 bribe by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), making him the second senior Gujarat fire department officer to be held for graft in a month.In Aug, chief fire officer in charge of Ahmedabad, Amitkumar Dongre, was suspended by AMC after he was caught in a Rs 36,000 bribery case.According to ACB, Patel allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 for issuing a fire-safety renewal NOC. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the applicant lodged a complaint with ACB.The bureau laid a trap at Patel’s chamber at the fire and emergency services office in Sector 17 of Gandhinagar. When he accepted the bribe, ACB apprehended him and recovered the amount on the spot.The case has drawn attention to the fact that both men held the same position, in-charge chief fire officer, when they were caught in graft cases.On another front, ACB on Wednesday caught an individual while allegedly accepting Rs 4 lakh from a person for ostensibly facilitating the allotment of a house under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).The accused, identified as Sureshkumar Pandya, a resident of Naranpura, allegedly assured the person that he could manipulate the allotment process and secure a PMAY house. According to ACB, he had earlier allegedly taken Rs 3.8 lakh from the person on the same pretext.The accused also allegedly demanded Rs 5.7 lakh from another person to arrange a PMAY house.As for the first PMAY case, the person approached ACB, which laid a trap near Gate No. 3 of Swaminarayan temple in Shahibaug on Wednesday. The accused was caught accepting Rs 4 lakh.
