Gujarat ACB Traps Aadhaar Operator, Private Agent In ₹3,000 Bribe Case In Bhavnagar

The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested an Aadhaar operator employed with the Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and a private citizen for allegedly accepting a ₹3,000 bribe to facilitate changes to an Aadhaar card.

According to the ACB, the trap was conducted on July 28 at the Aadhaar Card Centre at the BMC West Zone office near Akhalol Jakatnaka in Bhavnagar.

Private Agent Allegedly Demanded Bribe For Aadhaar Changes

The accused have been identified as Vijay Bharatbhai Dabhi, 28, an Aadhaar operator at the BMC West Zone, and Ashwin Bambhaniya, who allegedly runs an online services office near Mantresh Complex in Bhavnagar.

The ACB received information that Bambhaniya allegedly assisted members of the public with Aadhaar and PAN card applications and corrections. He was also allegedly collecting bribes ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 for facilitating Aadhaar-related changes in coordination with municipal officials or computer operators.

₹3,000 Bribe Accepted During ACB Trap

Based on the information, the ACB contacted the complainant and arranged a decoy operation.

According to the agency, the complainant contacted Bambhaniya and shared the documents required for making changes to the Aadhaar card via WhatsApp. The complainant was subsequently directed to meet Dabhi at the BMC office.

The ACB alleged that after the Aadhaar details were amended, the complainant spoke to Bambhaniya over the phone and ₹3,000 was accepted as a bribe. The accused were caught during the trap, and the entire ₹3,000 allegedly accepted as bribe was recovered.

The ACB said further legal proceedings are underway.

The trap was led by T S Rizvi, Police Inspector, Bhavnagar ACB Police Station, with the Bhavnagar ACB team. S N Barot, Assistant Director, ACB Bhavnagar Unit, supervised the operation, while Baldevsinh Vaghela, Deputy Director, ACB Rajkot Unit, was the officer in charge.