PSI gets two-year term in bribe case

Special ACB Judge, VP Rohte, on Monday sentenced suspended sub-inspector of Pydhonie police, to two years rigorous imprisonment in an anti-corruption case of 1998. Ex-PSI NB Patil had demanded a bribe from complainant Pritika Ambore in exchange for not registering a case of cheating against her.

Patil was further ordered by the court to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000, or undergo further RI for six-months in lieu thereof.

On December 5, 1998, the ACB caught him red-handed while accpeting a bribe of Rs25,000 from Ambore in a restaurant at Worli.

In 1998, one Sushila Chheda had complained that Ambore refused to repay a loan of Rs23 lakhs. Patil summoned Ambore to Pydhonie, for interrogation. Ambore denied all accusations leveled against her. Patil threatened her with prosecution unless he paid him Rs5 lakh. Patil offered to settle the matter for a bribe of Rs25,000 to be paid in installments.

On December 3, 1998, he called the ladies to Dahisar police station and from there took them to the Santacruz  police lock-up for settlement. During this meeting, Chheda owned up that she had made a false statement and Ambore owed her nothing.

Despite Chheda’s admission, Patil continued to harass Ambore for the bribe. Ambore approached the ACB. Together they set a trap and arrested him in the act of accepting the first installment of Rs. 5,000 from Ambore.

“Patil was convicted on the complete evidence given by Ambore. We examined four witnesses only. Chedda was neither interrogated by the ACB nor made a witness in the case,” said special ACB prosecutor Nazir Sheikh. leveled against her by Chheda.