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Corruption Crackdown: Senior Officials Arrested in Bribery Sting
5 Oct
Summary
- ACB arrests over half a dozen high-ranking civic and police officials
- Thane municipal commissioner suspends deputy civic commissioner
- Biggest challenge is to ensure convicted officials do not get reinstated
As of October 5th, 2025, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) led by director general Sanjeev Kumar Singhal has made a significant move in the fight against corruption. The ACB has arrested more than half a dozen high-ranking civic and police officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act for accepting bribes. This marks the first time in the recent past that senior officials have been trapped while taking bribes.
The arrests include three senior police inspectors from Mumbai and neighboring areas, as well as a Thane deputy civic commissioner. Thane municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao was quick to suspend the civic official, though no information was available on the disciplinary action against the senior police inspectors. According to civil service rules, if the officials are detained in police custody for more than 48 hours, they stand suspended.
The biggest challenge now for Singhal and the ACB will be to ensure the errant officials are convicted in a time-bound period. Otherwise, they risk being reinstated to the same posts and retiring from service without a blemish on their record. Singhal has been urged to set up a special cell to review all pending cases and launch an action plan for speedy case disposal.
