PUNE, June 4: A policeman from the passport branch was today arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths on charges of accepting bribe from a resident of Ghorpadi Peth for issuing the character certificate.Head constable Rofel Anthon D'Mello was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 100 from Rashid Khalid Shaikh at the special branch, Pune police commissionerate on Thursday afternoon, ACB officials said.
Shaikh had applied for a passport in Mumbai. The office sent the application to the passport branch of Pune police for verification of Shaikh's character.
D'Mello visited Shaikh's house on June 2. Since Shaikh was not available the he left a note asking Shaikh to contact him at the passport branch office between 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursday. D'Mello asked for Rs 100 when Shaikh met him. Shaikh immediately approached Superintendent of Police (ACB) S M Mushrif and lodged a complaint.
A team of ACB sleuths comprising inspectors S T Kadam and V U Bagal, head constables N S Gore and constable S K Kokate had laid a trap at the office of passport branch to catch D'Mello. Later in the afternoon, the ACB sleuths filed a case against D'Mello at Bund Garden police station.