Former Nagpur Mayor Kalpana Pande, sister held for demanding bribe

NAGPUR: A former Mayor of Nagpur city and her sister were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau here this morning for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant, police said.

Former Mayor Kalpana Pande (53), a BJP leader who is member of the city-based Chhunilal Navin Vidya Bhawan's management committee, and her younger sister Bharati (49), the headmistress of the school, had allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from a retired teacher for signing and approving her documents for state pension, an ACB release said.

The retired teacher approached the ACB which recorded a purported telephonic conversion of Kalpana and Bharati and confirmed the bribe motive and their demand from the teacher.

Subsequently, the ACB sleuths raided their residence at Hanuman Nagar in southern part of city and arrested both of them. Sensing trouble, the duo did not accept the cash from the complainant, the ACB said.

Pande, a lecturer of Mathematics, was Mayor of the BJP-ruled Nagpur Municipal Corporation in 1999-2000.

Offences under relevant sections of Prevention of Anti-Corruption Act have been registered against both the women at Tahsil Police station.

They will be produced before a special court later today, the ACB said.