Bribery Scandal: Thane Deputy Municipal Commissioner in Custody

Thane Deputy Municipal Commissioner Shankar Patole and two others have been remanded in custody over a bribery scandal involving Rs 50 lakh. The Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested the three individuals after a developer accused Patole of demanding a bribe. Bail pleas are scheduled for hearing on October 8.

In a developing bribery scandal, Thane Deputy Municipal Commissioner Shankar Patole, along with data operator Omkar Gaikar and another individual, were remanded in judicial custody on Monday. The court session was presided over by additional sessions judge SS Shinde.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which is investigating the case, chose not to seek an extension of police custody. A court official announced that the bail hearings for the accused are set for October 8.

Patole and Gaikar were apprehended during an ACB raid at the Thane Municipal Corporation's headquarters on October 1. The case arose when real estate developer Abhijit Kadam alleged that Patole had demanded a Rs 50 lakh bribe to remove an encroachment on a plot in Vishnu Nagar. Surve, linked to the transaction, surrendered and was arrested on October 3.

(With inputs from agencies.)