ACB arrests senior fire brigade officer for bribery over gas connection

Mumbai: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Maharashtra has arrested a senior central officer of the Fire Brigade for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹60,000 from a private individual seeking a Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connection and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a hotel.
The complainant, who works as a liaison officer for a private firm, was tasked with obtaining a PNG connection and NOC for a hotel in Borivali, western Mumbai. After applying online through the Fire Brigade portal, the complainant met the accused, Prahlad Shitole, at his office in Dahisar.
During this meeting, Shitole allegedly demanded ₹1.30 lakh to issue the NOC and approve the PNG connection. The ACB reported that Shitole communicated this demand by typing the figure on his mobile calculator.
Although the bribe amount was later reduced, the complainant was unwilling to pay and approached the ACB to file a complaint. In a subsequent meeting on 28 August, Shitole reportedly lowered his demand to ₹80,000, again using his mobile calculator to convey the amount.
The complainant, resolute in his refusal to bribe a government official, filed a formal complaint with the ACB on 29 August. After verifying the allegations, the ACB advised the complainant to negotiate the bribe amount. Shitole allegedly agreed to accept a sum exceeding ₹50,000.
The ACB then orchestrated a sting operation. As planned, the complainant met Shitole at his office to pay the bribe. “The accused allegedly accepted the bribe amount of ₹60,000 in the office lift,” the ACB press release stated.
However, Shitole reportedly became suspicious and rushed to his residence in the same building before the ACB could apprehend him. In an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, he allegedly flushed the bribe money down the toilet. ACB officials pursued him and managed to recover ₹57,000 from the building’s drainage chamber.
“The ACB then registered a case against Shitole and arrested him,” an ACB official said.