Thane RTO officials flee office before ACB raid

The news of a raid being conducted by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) at the regional transport office (RTO) in Thane created panic amongst officials on Friday.

Acting on information that there was rampant corruption at the RTO office, ACB officials reached the premises in the afternoon and started conducting preliminary inquiries with the officials present. This led to commotion in the office, and according to sources, many RTO officials started fleeing to escape being questioned.

The licensing and registration agents who roam in the and around the premises also ran away, leaving behind belongings in their makeshift offices located around the RTO. ACB officials seized official documents and other items from these offices.

Many officials who had gone out for lunch did not report back to work. The transport office’s functioning nearly ceased as the news spread. The raid went on till late in the evening and ACB officials are conducting searches at all the offices in the RTO complex.

When contacted, Niket Kaushik, additional commissioner of police, ACB, confirmed that a team had conducted the raid, but refused to divulge further details. State transport commissioner Dilip Jadhav said he was on election duty in Satara.