CBI Arrests ASI Conservation Assistant And Contractual Employee For Accepting ₹20,000 Bribe Over Seized Drone In Nashik
CBI arrests ASI officials for accepting a ₹20,000 bribe in Nashik after a drone seizure incident | Representative Pic
Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the conservation assistant of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and a contractual employee at ASI’s Pandavleni office, Nashik, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000.
According to the CBI, on March 13, a complaint was received from a graphic designer working for a private company in Nashik that deals with travel packages, ticket bookings, and tour planning. In September 2024, while designing an advertisement, the complainant was capturing aerial footage near Trimbakeshwar Temple using a drone.
The temple authorities seized the drone and handed it over to ASI officials. When the complainant visited the ASI office in Pandavleni to retrieve it, he met conservation assistant Deepak Choudhary and contractual employee Prakash Kaklij.
Choudhary initially demanded Rs 50,000 to return the drone, but after negotiations, the bribe was reduced to Rs 20,000. Kaklij also threatened to send the drone to the ASI office in Aurangabad if the amount was not paid.
The CBI set a trap and caught Kaklij red-handed while accepting the bribe on behalf of Choudhary. Both were arrested and presented before the competent court in Nashik, which granted them two days of police custody. A search at their residences led to the recovery of incriminating documents.
