Huge asset found from excise officers

MUMBAI: The Anti Corruption Bureau, which on Wednesday arrested Thane excise superintendent Manohar Anchule and excise inspector Ramesh Dhanshetty while accepting a bribe of Rs 18 lakh from a subordinate, have found huge assets in their house searches.
ACB sources said that while from Dhanshetty's office search sleuths found Rs 1.20 lakhs cash, search of his house in Hiranandani Medows in Thane police found a lodging and boarding building in his wife's name at Godbunder in Thane, Rs 23.96 lakhs worth insurance policies, Rs 16.5 lakhs savings in his bank account and 12 acres worth property in his native place in Osmanabad.
ACB also carried a search of Anchule's office from where they recovered a cash of Rs 48,800, house search resulted in recovery of Rs 8.21 lakhs, 380 grams of gold ornaments, 300 grams of silver, a 900 square feet flat in Hiranandani Medows, a flat in Oshiwara, 1.200 square feet flat in Pune, 1,200 Square feet flat in Seawood in Navi Mumbai, a flat in osmanabad a petrol pump in his wife's name in Osmanabad and Rs 14.70 lakhs in his saving accounts.
``The assets in both the cases are found to be beyond their means and hence we are in the process of registering a disproportionate asset case against the officers as well their wives.'' said an ACB officer.
On Wednesday the ACB had caught Dhanshetty and Achule while accepting a bribe of Rs 18 lakhs. The Thane ACB had registered a case against an excise sub-inspector under the Prevention of Corruption Act on January 22. The complainant sub-inspector feared that since a criminal case had been registered against him, he would be denied a promotion as excise inspector, suspended and a departmental probe may be initiated against him.
He approached Anchule and Dhanshetty to ensure his promotion and that a departmental probe is not conducted against him for which duo demanded a bribe.
The sub-inspector then complained to the ACB's Mumbai office. Anchule and Dhanshetty were caught while accepting the bribe in the excise department's Koliwada office in Thane district. An offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the duo.