Palghar, Apr 15 (PTI) A case has been registered against a forest department staffer for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a villager to permit the construction of a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Tuesday.

Based on a complaint filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), a case was registered at Mandvi police station, an official said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Palghar (ACB) Harshal Chavan, the alleged accused, Mahendra Solanki (33), was posted in Wada taluka and operated from the Ganeshpuri office of the range forest department.

He said a 48-year-old man from Komshet village approached the ACB with a complaint, alleging that Solanki had demanded Rs 50,000 to allow him to construct his house sanctioned under the PMAY.

The official said the new house was being built opposite the villager’s current residence, and permission was sought from the forest department, as the area fell under forest jurisdiction.

The man claimed that Solanki not only demanded the bribe to grant permission, but he also threatened to stop or demolish the construction if the sum was not paid.

The official said Solanki eventually settled for Rs 20,000, and the ACB laid a trap to nab him on April 1, but he did not show up to collect the bribe, and the operation was stalled.

The police registered a case based on the ACB’s probe, he said, adding that no arrest has been made in the case. PTI COR ARU