Suspended Town Planning Officer (TPO) Mansukh Sagathiya, an accused in the Rajkot TRP game zone fire that claimed 27 lives, has admitted to taking bribes from the game zone operators,  an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) official has said on condition of anonymity.

The official also claimed that the illegal construction of the game zone was not demolished because of that.

In 2021, the construction of the TRP Game Zone was in its initial stages. Subsequently, there was  rampant illegal construction.

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s Town Planning department had issued three demolition notices against the illegal construction. But  no action was taken.

ACB sources said that questioning of Sagathiya has made it amply clear that not only did he accumulate wealth running into crores of rupees through corrupt means, his brother too obtained 22 kilograms of gold worth ₹15 crore and ₹3 crore in cash, by indulging in corruption.

Mansukh Sagathiya also admitted to taking bribes worth crores during his tenure as a TP officer, the sources said.

This includes the purchase of gold biscuits with ill-gotten money. The ₹3 crore in cash recovered from him was also acquired through unethical practices.

The ACB official further stated that Sagathiya admitted to taking these bribes from various people, without mentioning any names.

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