ACB traps college trustee, watchman for accepting ₹3 lakh bribe in Ahmedabad

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ahmedabad city, on Tuesday laid a successful trap and arrested two persons, including a college trustee, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹3 lakh in connection with clearing post-retirement dues of a former principal.

The accused was identified as Timiirbhai Vinubhai Amin, trustee of M M Patel College of Education, located on the Pankaj Vidyalaya campus at Gulbai Tekra, and Murlimanohar Ramlalji Zandol, a Class-IV employee working as a watchman at the same institution.

According to the ACB, the complainant, described as a vigilant citizen, had retired as the in-charge principal of the college. He alleged that Amin demanded a bribe of ₹5 lakh for signing and processing files related to his pension, General Provident Fund (GPF) and leave encashment. Police said that ₹2 lakh had already been paid earlier, and the accused continued to demand the remaining ₹3 lakh.

Unwilling to pay any further bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, following which a trap was organised on January 7, 2026. During the operation, the accused trustee allegedly instructed the complainant to hand over the remaining bribe amount to the second accused, Zandol.

The trap was laid inside the Pankaj Vidyalaya campus, outside the office of trustee Timiirbhai Amin at Gulbai Tekra. During the operation, Zandol allegedly held a purposeful conversation with the complainant and accepted the ₹3 lakh bribe on behalf of Amin, after which he was caught red-handed by the ACB team.

Police said that while ₹3 lakh was recovered in full from the spot, the main accused, Amin, managed to flee. Investigators have maintained that both accused acted in connivance and facilitated the commission of the offence.

The trap was executed under the supervision of Police Inspector R.I. Parmar, Ahmedabad City ACB Police Station. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused. Further investigation is in progress.