Ahmedabad Chief Fire Officer, Aide Held For Accepting Rs 36,000 Bribe To Clear Fire NOCs

In a major crackdown, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested Ahmedabad's chief fire officer (CFO) and a private individual for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 36,000 to clear fire NOC approvals for six buildings, an official said on Saturday.

Amit Dongre, the chief fire officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, had allegedly demanded a Rs 6,000 bribe per building to approve fire NOCs and appointed one Bhavsinh Jhala to collect the money on his behalf, the Vadodara ACB said.

According to the ACB, the complainant is a fire safety officer (FSO) for buildings in the city, and had sent applications for the approval of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for six buildings on the state government portal. However, Jhala allegedly demanded Rs 6,000 per NOC for the same on behalf of the senior fire official.

Based on a written complaint, the ACB laid a trap on Friday and caught Jhala red-handed while talking to the complainant and receiving Rs 36,000 from him.

Jhala then called up Dongre, and both agreed on the bribe, making it clear that the former had accepted the money on behalf of the CFO, the ACB said, adding that both have been arrested.

"Both accused conspired with each other to commit the crime, and legal action was currently underway against them," it said.