Anti-Corruption Bureau's Mumbai unit launched probe in just 9 per cent complaints: RTI

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau's Mumbai unit initiated probe merely into 9 per cent of complaints that it received during the last 45 months, according to an RTI reply.

ACB's Mumbai region received 7,232 complaints from January 2012 to September 2015 mainly of disproportionate assets and graft charges against government servants.

But it ordered "open and discrete" inquiries in only 671 complaints. In 322 cases, the anti-corruption watchdog closed the probes without taking any action, RTI activist Jeetendra Ghadge said quoting the reply received from Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-ACB Rajan Bhogle.

Of the rest 349 cases, FIRs were filed only in 7 cases while inquiries were pending in 299 cases, the reply mentioned.

Ghadge said only seven out of 7,232 cases that is a meager 0.096 per cent complaints were converted into FIRs.

"Most certainly, during the course of trail, the accused would go scot free. This implies that either everyone is filing false complaints or there is absolutely no corruption in Mumbai," he claimed.

Referring to Bombay High Court's directives, he said the ACB is supposed to investigate every complaint it receives.

Refuting Ghatge's charges, Bhogle told PTI, "Whensoever we get any complaint, we go through it throughly. When a case does not pertain to graft or corruption, we forward it to the authorities concerned to take corrective measures". PTI