Rajkot: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday caught the deputy regional fire officer of Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), and his associate red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in Bhavnagar.ACT sleuths caught the officer Mahesh Patel, and his aide Prakash Chauhan.The complainant had submitted an online application to obtain the mandatory fire safety approvals and certification after installation of equipment in 79 gov schools across various talukas of Bhavnagar district.It is alleged Patel demanded Rs 5 lakh to expedite the approvals. Of this amount, Rs 50,000 had already been paid earlier, while the remaining was pending. It was decided that Rs 2 lakh would be paid on Monday.After the complainant approached the ACB, its team laid a trap near Sir T Hospital and caught Chauhan accepting the cash, Subsequently, Patel was taken into custody from his office.
