Pune: Santosh Suryakant Kshirsagar, an Assistant Police Sub-Inspector, has been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹5 lakh, later reduced to ₹2 lakh, from a complainant.

The bribe was requested to prevent the complainant from being named as a co-accused and arrested in a fraud case, as per instructions from then-Police Inspector Shrihari Bahirat.

The ACB’s investigation has revealed that the bribe demand was related to a fraud case filed against Tanaji Shelar, a friend of the complainant. The accused, Santosh Suryakant Kshirsagar, working with the Crime Branch Unit III, allegedly acted on instructions from Police Inspector Bahirat.

The complainant, fearing wrongful implication in the case, approached the ACB, which initiated a probe into the matter.

On May 21, a verification process was conducted at the Crime Branch’s Range Hill office, where witnesses confirmed that the bribe amount had been negotiated down to ₹2 lakh. However, a formal trap could not be set up at that time.

Despite this, a case has now been registered for demanding a bribe. Meanwhile, the investigation into the role of Police Inspector Shrihari Bahirat is still ongoing.

A new twist emerged during the ACB's operation when Police Inspector Bahirat became suspicious of the complainant’s actions and confiscated a voice recorder the complainant had on him, disrupting the planned operation. This unexpected development delayed further action, leading the ACB to seek legal opinion before proceeding with filing charges.

Pune ACB Superintendent of Police, Shirish Sardeshpande, confirmed the turn of events and the seizure of the voice recorder.

He added that after considering legal advice, a case has now been registered, and the involvement of Police Inspector Bahirat is under close scrutiny. Deputy Superintendent of Police Anil Katke is currently overseeing the investigation.