Four individuals — a police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), an advocate, and two contractual Social Welfare Inspectors — were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat on Saturday, 4 October 2025, in two separate sting operations across the state. The accused allegedly accepted bribes totalling ₹2.54 lakh, according to ACB officials.

The Mahudha Case: Cop and Advocate Booked

In the first trap, Narendrasinh Chavda, an ASI posted at Mahudha Police Station in Kheda district, and Justice Kalidas Rohit, 30, an advocate from Nadiad native to Mahisa village in Mahudha taluka, were booked for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹2.5 lakh to settle a dispute and prevent registration of a formal case.

According to ACB officials, the complainant and his son are engaged in the business of detergent powder and allied products. On 1 October, the complainant's son and his business partner were allegedly brought to Mahudha Police Station along with their goods vehicle after Rohit accused them of cheating local traders.

When the complainant visited the station on 2 October, Chavda allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh in Rohit's presence to reach a settlement. After negotiations, the amount was reportedly reduced to ₹2.5 lakh. Unwilling to pay, the complainant contacted the ACB through its toll-free helpline 1064.

Acting on the complaint, the ACB laid a trap at Office No. 24, Shyam Arcade, opposite a Nayara petrol pump at Mahudha Chokdi. Rohit allegedly demanded and accepted the ₹2.5 lakh at the location and was caught by ACB officers. Chavda was reportedly not present at the spot at the time of the trap, though the ACB alleged the two acted in connivance and assisted each other in the offence.

The Bhuj Case: Two Welfare Inspectors Nabbed

In a separate operation in Bhuj, two contractual Social Welfare Inspectors were caught allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹4,000 to process housing assistance instalments due to a beneficiary under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Housing Scheme.

The accused were identified as Asif Mustafa Qureshi, 28, and Kanji Bhatti, 32. Both are employed on a contractual basis at the Office of the Social Welfare Officer (Developed Castes), Bhuj-Kutch, handling schemes and scholarships.

The ACB said the two officials allegedly demanded ₹4,000 from the complainant for depositing different instalments of financial assistance sanctioned for his house. The complainant refused to pay and approached the Bhuj ACB. After registering his complaint, the agency arranged a trap at Bahumali Bhavan, where both accused asked the complainant to hand over the bribe and subsequently accepted it — and were immediately detained.

Pattern and Context

The two operations underscore a recurring pattern of petty corruption in government-administered welfare disbursements and police dispute resolution in Gujarat. The Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Housing Scheme is aimed at economically weaker sections, making the alleged extortion of beneficiaries particularly significant. Notably, both operations were triggered by complainants who independently contacted the ACB rather than yielding to alleged demands — an indicator that awareness of the ACB's toll-free channel is growing among citizens.

What Happens Next

Cases have been registered against all four accused under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The ACB has alleged connivance in both sets of arrests. Further investigation is underway to determine whether the accused had extorted money from other complainants in similar fashion previously.