Gram panchayat member caught taking ₹1.7 lakh bribe in Thane district

A 35-year-old gram panchyat member from Maharashtra’s Thane district has been arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹1.7 lakh from a developer, officials said on Friday (February 20, 2026).

Accused Swapnil Sitaram Patil is a member of the Ambadi gram panchayat in the Bhiwandi taluka, said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

According to the ACB, the complainant had constructed a three-story building after securing all necessary permissions. He applied to the gram panchayat in October 2025 for the assessment and levy of property and water taxes for the building.

However, during a monthly meeting, Mr. Patil and some other members raised objections to the levy of taxes. “The accused and other members had also written to the local tehsildar claiming the building was illegal. In December 2025, Mr. Patil sent a copy of this complaint to the builder via WhatsApp to intimidate him,” an official said.

Later, Mr. Patil allegedly demanded ₹1.7 lakh from the builder to facilitate the levy of taxes and to withdraw the complaint filed with the Tehsildar. The builder then approached the ACB.

Following verification of the demand, a trap was laid on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), and Mr. Patil was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount, the official said.

Anil Jaykar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, ACB Thane, said an FIR has been registered against Mr. Patil at the Ganeshpuri police station. A probe is underway to ascertain if other members of the gram panchayat were involved in this bribery matter, the official said.