Woman corporator caught taking bribe

A lady corporator was trapped and arrested on Thursday by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs25,000 from a contractor. Shiv Sena corporator, Vishakha Pednekar was caught red-handed accepting money from Pramod Kanade for permission to construct an ATM centre of Sahyadri Sahakari Bank in south Mumbai.

According to the ACB officials, Kanade was given the contract to design the ATM at Fanaswadi in Girgaum. He started the work in the Khemka Chawl last month of a wall inside the ATM plot, only to have it demolished by the BMC authorities on July 31, citing that the required permission was not taken.

“Kanade was directed by the bank authorities to meet Pednekar,” said additional deputy commissioner of police, ACB, Nandkishore Ghag. Kanade met Pednekar at her Jagannath Chawl residence in Fanaswadi, early this month, where she allegedly demanded the bribe to avoid any action from the authorities.

He complained to the ACB  and the bureau laid a trap at Pednekar’s residence where she had asked to bring the money. She did not sense any foul play despite
the presence of ACB sleuths in plain clothes with Kanade. The corporator is also Marine Lines civic ward committee president.