Two persons, including a police inspector who once worked with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), have been caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 3.30 lakh.
Police Inspector PK Patel and constable Vipulbhai Desai, both posted in the CI Cell of CID Crime, were trapped by the ACB in what officials described as the largest bribery trap in the history of CID Crime.
The case is linked to the investigation of an illegal call centre operating out of Goa.
In 2024, a CID Crime team arrested a call centre operator near Gandhinagar’s GIFT City. During interrogation, it emerged that the call centre was being run from Goa. Acting on this information, CID Crime conducted a raid at a casino in Goa and arrested 23 accused.
The probe was subsequently handed over to the CI Cell.
During the investigation, notices were issued to several Ahmedabad-based individuals linked to the call centre, who were called in for questioning.
In the process, the name of a person previously associated with the call centre surfaced.
About two months ago, this individual was served a notice by Patel and asked to submit a written reply.
According to the complaint, Patel allegedly demanded Rs 2 crore from the complainant to avoid naming him as an accused in the case.
After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 30 lakh. Unwilling to pay such a large sum, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau and lodged a formal complaint.
Acting on the complaint, ACB PI DN Patel laid a trap. Patel called the complainant near an under-construction site close to Swagat City Mall in Sargasan to collect the money.
Constable Desai arrived to receive the bribe on behalf of Patel. After handing over the cash, the complainant called Patel to confirm that the money had been delivered.
Moments later, the ACB team caught constable Desai red-handed, while another team arrested Patel from the CID Crime office.
Patel was recruited as a PSI in 2010 and promoted to Police Inspector in 2019. He served in the ACB for five years before being transferred to CID Crime in 2023.
At the time of his arrest, his monthly salary was around Rs 90,000, while Desai was drawing about Rs 45,000.
According to ACB statistics, a police officer is caught accepting a bribe every six days on average. In 2023, 60 policemen were trapped, followed by another 60 in 2024. In 2025, 15 such cases have been registered till March, taking the total to 135 policemen.
Bribe money amounting to Rs 98 lakh has been seized in these cases, with the highest number of corruption cases recorded in the Home Department.
Following Patel’s arrest, discussions regarding his possible financial links in Goa and Maharashtra have intensified within Police Bhavan.
ACB officials said the call detail records of both accused will be analysed, and a detailed probe into the income and assets of Patel and his family is also planned.
Also Read: ACB Traps RTO Inspector and his Associate for Bribery in Palanpur https://www.vibesofindia.com/acb-traps-rto-inspector-and-his-associate-for-bribery-in-palanpur/
