YAVATMAL, June 25: The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials of Yavatmal and Wardha caught Darwha police station officer (PSO) Dadarao Mhatre red-handed while accepting Rs 200 as bribe from the proprietor of a Karanja-based private travel agency.

Reports reaching here reveal that Sadarao Mhatre had demanded Rs 200 from the proprietor of a Karanja (Akola district)-based travel agency, Suriyabhan Rajgure, for delaying the submission of the challan to the court against the complainant Rajgure. The Dharwha police had registered an offence against Rajgure's travel bus recently.

On learning about it, Rajgure approached PSO Mhatre for a `favour'. However, Dadarao Mhatre, in his usual manner, demanded Rs 200 from Rajgure for merely delaying the process. Rajgure agreed to comply with the demand.Thereafter, Rajgure approached the ACB official at Yavatmal and lodged a complaint. The ACB officials of Yavatmal sought the assistance from their counterparts at Wardha.

The ACB officials laid a trap and caught Mhatre red-handed while accepting the bribe. Mhatre was alert enough to grasp the seriousness of the matter and stunned the officials by pulling out his service revolver.

He immediately got under his table and swallowed four Rs 50 denomination notes even as the ACB officials watched helplessly.

However, they soon overpowered Mhatre and rushed him to the District General Hospital. The doctors at the hospital made several attempts to draw out the notes but Mhatre foiled all these attempts.

Failing to draw out the currency notes the doctors later took him for an X-ray examination which showed the sliver strings in the notes.

Mhatre was booked under sections 7, 13(1) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 201 and 353 of the IPC. When contacted, the superintendent of police, Jai Jeet Singh informed that Dadarao Mhatre had been suspended from the service.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.