Ahmedabad Fire Officer and Broker Arrested in Bribery Case

Ahmedabad, August 8: The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has apprehended a private broker in Ahmedabad for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹36,000 in exchange for securing fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for six buildings. The operation took place on Friday after initial evidence suggested the involvement of the Chief Fire Officer of Ahmedabad, prompting legal action against him as well.

According to the ACB, the complainant is a vigilant citizen working as a Fire Safety Officer (FSO), providing fire safety services to various buildings in Ahmedabad. The complainant had submitted applications for fire NOCs for six buildings through the state government’s online portal.

The ACB claims that the second accused, 31-year-old Bhavsinh Jhala, demanded a total of ₹36,000, charging ₹6,000 for each NOC, in return for facilitating the approval of the applications.

Instead of paying the bribe, the complainant filed a report at the Vadodara City ACB police station. Acting on the complaint, the ACB set up a sting operation on Friday in the presence of two independent government witnesses.

This operation took place near the Yash Aqua Complex at Vijay Cross Road in Ahmedabad’s Memnagar area. During the sting, Jhala allegedly engaged in a conversation regarding the bribe with the complainant and accepted the ₹36,000. The ACB team then caught him red-handed.

The bureau reported that preliminary investigations have also implicated 47-year-old Amit Kumar Dongre, the Chief Fire Officer of Ahmedabad and a senior official.

The ACB noted that during the operation, Jhala was in contact with Dongre via phone, suggesting that the officer had tacitly approved the bribe amount.

The ACB stated that the investigation revealed Jhala demanded and accepted the bribe at Dongre’s behest, indicating that both accused collaborated in committing the alleged offense under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The sting operation was led by Inspector A.N. Prajapati of the Vadodara City ACB police station, under the supervision of Assistant Director B.M. Patel of the Vadodara ACB unit. Baldev Desai, Deputy Director of the Vadodara range, was in charge of the entire operation. Legal proceedings against both accused are ongoing.