Gujarat cop caught in ACB trap after ₹40,000 bribe demand over pollution threat
Synopsis
A Gujarat police inspector allegedly weaponised pollution rules to shake down a factory owner — first demanding an air conditioner, then settling for ₹40,000 cash. The factory owner refused to pay and walked straight to the ACB, which set a trap and caught the inspector red-handed inside his own chamber at Anklav police station.
Key Takeaways
Rajdeepsinh Vanar , a Class-II police inspector at Anklav police station , was caught by the ACB on 22 October allegedly accepting a ₹40,000 bribe.
Vanar had allegedly threatened to shut down the complainant's factory over pollution violations before making the demand.
The inspector first demanded a 1.5-tonne air conditioner ; when refused, he allegedly revised the demand to ₹40,000 in cash.
The trap was led by ACB police inspector R N Virani of the Anand ACB unit.
The entire alleged bribe amount of ₹40,000 was recovered on the spot.
The ACB has booked Vanar for alleged criminal misconduct and misuse of official position.
A police inspector posted at Anklav police station in Gujarat's Anand district was caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on 22 October 2026 while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹40,000 from a factory owner, after threatening to shut down the unit over alleged pollution violations. The entire bribe amount was recovered on the spot, according to ACB officials.
How the Demand Was Made
The accused, Rajdeepsinh Vanar, a Class-II police inspector, had allegedly summoned the factory owner to Anklav police station and threatened to shut down the facility, claiming it was causing pollution. During the interaction, Vanar allegedly first demanded a 1.5-tonne air conditioner from the complainant. When the complainant refused, the inspector reportedly revised his demand to ₹40,000 in cash.
'The inspector made the demand for the air conditioner during this interaction and subsequently asked the complainant to pay ₹40,000,' ACB officials stated.
Complainant Approaches ACB
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the factory owner — described by the ACB as a 'vigilant citizen' — approached the Anand ACB police station and filed a formal complaint. On the basis of this complaint, the bureau organised a trap operation. The trap was led by R N Virani, police inspector at the Anand ACB police station, along with his team.
The Trap and Arrest
During the operation on 22 October, Vanar allegedly engaged in a conversation with the complainant inside his chamber at Anklav police station and accepted ₹40,000. The ACB team moved in immediately, catching him at the spot. The entire alleged bribe amount was recovered, according to the complaint details.
Legal Proceedings
The ACB has characterised the case as an alleged misuse of official position by a public servant to obtain an undue advantage through coercive threats. Vanar's conduct has been described as amounting to criminal misconduct under the applicable anti-corruption statutes. The bureau routinely conducts such sting operations against officials who allegedly demand bribes, and this case follows a pattern of ACB actions targeting police personnel in Gujarat.
Point of View
Which is relatively small, but the method: summoning a citizen to an official chamber and coercing compliance. The ACB's ability to act quickly on the complaint suggests its tip-off infrastructure is functioning, but the deeper problem — inspectors who routinely treat small businesses as revenue sources — requires systemic accountability beyond individual traps. Gujarat has seen a string of such ACB actions involving police personnel, pointing to structural incentive failures that single arrests alone cannot resolve.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rajdeepsinh Vanar and what was he accused of?
Rajdeepsinh Vanar is a Class-II police inspector posted at Anklav police station in Gujarat's Anand district. He was allegedly caught accepting a ₹40,000 bribe from a factory owner after threatening to shut down the unit over pollution, and had earlier reportedly demanded a 1.5-tonne air conditioner from the same complainant.
How did the ACB catch the accused inspector?
The factory owner refused to pay the bribe and filed a complaint with the Anand ACB police station, which then arranged a trap operation. On 22 October, the ACB team, led by inspector R N Virani, caught Vanar inside his chamber at Anklav police station at the moment he allegedly accepted ₹40,000 from the complainant.
What charges does the inspector face?
The ACB has characterised the case as criminal misconduct and misuse of official position by a public servant to obtain an undue advantage. The case is being pursued under anti-corruption statutes applicable to public servants in India.
Why did the factory owner approach the ACB?
The factory owner declined to meet the inspector's alleged demands — first for an air conditioner, then for ₹40,000 in cash — and instead reported the matter to the Anand ACB police station, where a formal complaint was registered. The ACB described the complainant as a 'vigilant citizen'.
What happened to the bribe money after the arrest?
The entire alleged bribe amount of ₹40,000 was recovered on the spot by the ACB team at the time of the trap operation at Anklav police station on 22 October.
