Maharashtra electricity employee booked in bribery case

Mumbai: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mumbai, registered a corruption case against a BEST Electricity Department employee for allegedly demanding a bribe from a food café owner to avoid disconnection of the electricity supply.

According to the ACB, the complainant was operating a food café and had pending electricity dues of Rs 45,280 for three months. The accused public servant, identified as Nitin Kawle, allegedly threatened to disconnect and remove the electricity meter over non-payment of the bill and demanded Rs 3,000 as a bribe to avoid action.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB Mumbai on Dec 24, 2025, and lodged a complaint. During a verification conducted on Dec 26, 2025, officials found that Kawle had reduced the demand to Rs 2,500 and had agreed to accept the amount.

Following the verification, the ACB registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.