Thane | September 9, 2026
A Thane Municipal Corporation employee was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2,500 to facilitate a certificate recording a change of name on a property-tax receipt, according to the Thane ACB.
The employee, identified as 43-year-old Devendra Koli, worked as a peon in the property-tax recovery department of the Wagle Estate ward committee. The ACB detained him at the ward committee office on September 7 after laying a trap based on a complaint, Loksatta reported.
According to the report, the complainant operates a partnership firm and had rented an office in the Wagle Estate area. The complainant required a certificate confirming a change in the name shown on the office’s property-tax receipt. When the complainant approached the property-tax recovery department, Koli allegedly demanded Rs 2,000 as government charges and Rs 3,000 as a bribe.
The amount allegedly sought as a bribe was later reduced to Rs 2,500 after negotiations. The complainant approached the Thane ACB on September 4 and submitted a complaint against Koli. Based on the complaint, the bureau organised the operation three days later at the ward committee office.
The ACB took Koli into custody while he was allegedly accepting the money and registered a case against him. The action was confirmed by Bharat Jadhav, deputy superintendent of police with the Thane ACB, according to the report.
The arrest has again brought attention to alleged bribery in the Thane civic administration, particularly in services linked to property-tax records and certificates. Such documents are routinely used by property owners, tenants and businesses while dealing with municipal records, although the report did not provide details of any wider investigation or action against other officials.
The case concerns an allegation and will proceed through the legal process. The ACB’s next steps, including the investigation and proceedings against the accused employee, will determine the status of the case.
