PANJIM: The Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) has registered First Information Report (FIR) against four members of the St Village Panchayat, including the ex-sarpanch, for allegedly demanding bribe from a real estate developer.
The FIR was registered on February 5, 2019 naming ex-sarpanch Mariano De Araujo, and panch members Ulhas Naik, Lawrence Rodrigues and Prasad Naik as accused of the offence.
The complainant builder Cedric Vaz had lodged a police complainant alleging that the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 per flat on October 3, 2017 and March 8, 2018 from him. Vaz also alleged that he was asked to pay a separate amount of Rs 10 lakh when he approached the village panchayat for construction licence for the proposed residential building comprising 29 flats in survey number 407/3-B and 408/4-B in the village.
He had attached an audio recording along with the copy of the complaint as evidence against the accused.
Asked on the delay in registering the offence as the complaint was filed in August 2018, a senior officer defended stating they conducted a preliminary enquiry based on the evidence submitted by the complainant and clues gathered by the investigation team, before filing an FIR.
