Dindori education officer, primary teacher and clerk of zilla parishad arrested in Rs 52,000 bribe case

Nashik: Officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Nashik arrested three men — the Block Education Officer (BEO) of the Dindori Panchayat Samiti, a primary teacher and a clerk — on Tuesday in connection with accepting a bribe of Rs 52,000.The bribe was demanded from a school teacher to approve his and his wife's salary arrears.The complainant and his wife, both teachers appointed within the PESA (scheduled areas) jurisdiction, were entitled to salary arrears totalling over Rs 13 lakh. These arrears had accumulated from their single-level pay scale status spanning from 2002 to Feb 2026.The couple had submitted separate bills for these pending payments at the panchayat samiti office in Dindori. According to ACB officials, the complainant had been following up with the department concerned to have the bills forwarded to the zilla parishad (ZP) office in Nashik for final clearance.The BEO had demanded 1% cut of the total bill amount to clear the paperwork and submit it to the zilla parishad. Another primary teacher demanded a specific bribe to obtain hard copies of the bills from the ZP office. Meanwhile, a clerk encouraged the teacher to demand the bribe from the couple to facilitate the submission of the bill.Since the couple did not want to pay any bribe, they approached the ACB with a complaint, after which the three public servants were arrested.A case has been registered at the Dindori police station under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The ACB is conducting further investigations into the matter.