The Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the Thane traffic department for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 3,000 from an auto-rickshaw owner, ACB officials said on Tuesday. The 57-year-old ASI caught an auto-rickshaw driver for violation of traffic rules and not wearing the uniform and batch here in Maharashtra on March 19, Thane ACB inspector Suresh Chopde said.
The ASI then allegedly seized the vehicle and asked its owner to come to the traffic police office along with a bribe amount of Rs 2,000. When the auto-rickshaw owner came to meet the ASI, he allegedly demanded Rs 3,000 to allow him to take the vehicle, the official said.
The vehicle owner subsequently lodged a complaint with the ACB's Thane unit which laid a trap on Monday evening and caught the ASI accepting the bribe amount of Rs 3,000 from the complainant, he said. A case was registered against the accused under relevant provisions, he added.