Case against industrial safety official for seeking bribe from surgeon

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has lodged a case against an official of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) for allegedly demanding bribe from a surgeon in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, the ACB said on Thursday. The surgeon had the requisite permission to visit various factories and units in the district and carry out health check up of its employees and issue medical certificates, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Palghar ACB, Dayanand Gawde said.

The accused allegedly wanted the surgeon to pay him Rs 50 per person examined medically between November 2022 and June 2023, which comes to Rs 31,500 (for a total of 630 persons checked during the period), and also if he wanted to continue with his work further, the official said. The surgeon lodged a complaint with the Palghar ACB which carried out a preliminary probe.

Based on the ACB’s complaint, the Palghar police on Wednesday registered offences against the DISH official under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, he said. A probe was on into the case, he added.