Madan Darade, who runs the J M D people’s co-operative credit society, claimed that PI Bhimraj Ghadge of Bazar Peth police station took Rs 1 lakh from him in November 2014 to settle a dispute with the owner of a hotel in Kalyan. He had complained to the police at the time but no action was taken.

Plot thickens
The matter only came to light this Sunday, after Thane Police registered an FIR against Ghadge of Bazar Peth police station on graft charges. Incidentally, Ghadge had only recently approached the minorities’ commission asking why his promotion had been held up.

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The panel then questioned Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s decision to promote 11 of Ghadge’s juniors but not advance him to the post of senior police inspector, as was his due. To this, the department replied that there were corruption charges against Ghadge, and the panel then demanded to see the file.

The very next day, the FIR was registered at Bazar Peth police station. The complainant, Darade, had circulated a video that allegedly shows PI Ghadge accepting the bribe. While Thane Police claims this is genuine evidence, Ghadge claims the video was manipulated.

Ghadge pointed out that if the said offence dates back to November 2014, why had the department waited so long to charge him? He also questioned why it was the Thane Police who filed the case, and not the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Ghadge claimed, “In 2013, the Thane CP had told me to go slow in a land-grabbing probe, in which prominent Kalyan builders and officials from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation were implicated.” He added that the CP had orally directed him to not proceed against the accused.

“As I did not listen to Commissioner Singh in this matter, I have been made a scapegoat and shunted out. I fear for my life in police custody and should be granted bail,” he claimed in his bail application to the Kalyan district and additional Sessions Judge.

Official speak
When mid-day contacted Thane Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, he redirected this correspondent to Thane Joint Commissioner of Police VV Laxminarayana, who said, “We are yet to receive a copy of the bail application. The matter is sub-judice; we will respond in court.”