MUMBAI: A police inspector dismissed from service after being caught by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while accepting a bribe of Rs 22 lakh in 2019 was reinstated two months ago, despite objections from the commissioner of police.
The reinstatement move began in 2019, when the BJP-Sena government was in power, but was put on the backburner following objections. Finally, in May this year, the current MVA government gave the go-ahead for his reinstatement.
On January 1, 2019, police inspector Anand Bhoir, who was then attached to the crime branch, was arrested for allegedly accepting Rs 22 lakh from Ashok Patel, a liquor shop owner in Fort.
Patel has so far trapped more than 130 public servants in bribery and extortion cases. Bhoir had raided a godown at JB Nagar in Andheri and seized 945 illegally imported liquor bottles worth over Rs 16.3 lakh and arrested one person. He then allegedly threatened to book Patel for being part of the gang.
He allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh for not arresting Patel. The complainant approached the ACB and Bhoir was caught accepting Rs 22 lakh in Andheri. The bribery case is still pending before the ACB court.
In September 2019, the then police commissioner Sanjay Barve dismissed Bhoir after a departmental inquiry found him guilty. Bhoir approached the then minister of state for home Ranjit Patil, who stayed the order and directed his reinstatement. When Barve objected to the reinstatement, the minister stayed his order.
Sources said after the MVA government came to power, Bhoir’s reinstatement issue cropped up again. Bhoir’s file was taken up for review and the stay was lifted, said a senior police officer.
In the inquiry, Bhoir was found guilty of tweaking the police investigation to benefit the accused and benefit himself monetarily. Bhoir was dismissed under the provisions of the Bombay Police (Punishment and Appeals) Rules, 1956. Bhoir had filed an appeal before the home department for reinstatement stating that he was illegally dismissed from the services and bribery cannot be grounds for his dismissal and there are several public servants caught in bribery cases and all cannot be dismissed from the services. He stated that he had a good track record of solving sensational cases while serving in Mumbai and Thane police.
Bhoir, currently posted in the control room in the eastern region, declined to comment. Joint commissioner of police (administration) Rajkumar Watkar said he had been reinstated based on the orders from the state home department. He declined to comment further.
The home department and former police commissioner Param Bir Singh is already facing flak over the reinstatement of assistant police inspector Sachin Waze back in the force after 16 years. Waze was dismissed from service after he was arrested in the planting of gelatines in a vehicle near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s bungalow and subsequent murder of the vehicle owner Mansukh Hiran.
