A peon was arrested for accepting a bribe in exchange for allotting a new water connection. Peon used to work at ward office of Thane Municipal Corporation. 

Rajesh Yashwant Jadhav (43) initially demanded R10,000 from the victim, Vijay Gopinath Waghate, but later settled for Rs 5,000. 

Gopinath works as a daily wage labourer and his 40-year-old wife suffers from severe case of diabetes, and fetching water is a problem for her. They have to travel around 2 km to get water as they reside in Yeoor, which is a tribal-dominated forest area.

Hence, Wagate approached the officials of Ward number 4 of TMC (west) a month ago to ask the procedure to get a new connection. 

According to victim, “I wrote a letter to the Thane Municipal Corporation for a new water connection. Even after a month, there was no response. So I approached them again and was asked to meet Jadhav to get the water connection. I had all the necessary documents, but was asked to approach Jadhav, anyway. Jadhav asked me to pay R10,000 initially but later the amount came down to Rs 5,000” . 

On May 17, complainant then approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau office then the trap is set up to caught peon while accepting the money. 

Datta Karale, Superintendent of Police, ACB, Thane, said , “We have recorded the act as an evidence to show to the court” .