Nagpur: In a major anti-corruption operation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Nagpur, on Wednesday caught a police constable attached to Ganeshpeth Police Station red-handed while accepting a bribe. The accused has been identified as Ashish Nikode, a police constable whose arrest has sent shockwaves through the police department.

According to officials, the complainant is also employed in the police department. He had met with an accident while on duty, following which a case was registered at Ganeshpeth Police Station. The investigation of the case was assigned to Constable Ashish Nikode.

The complainant had filed a compensation claim in court in connection with the accident and urgently required a copy of the charge sheet to pursue the case. When he approached Nikode for the document, the constable allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 in exchange for providing the charge sheet copy.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB’s Nagpur unit and lodged a complaint.

After verifying the allegations, the ACB laid a trap at Ganeshpeth Police Station on July 1, 2026, and caught Nikode red-handed while accepting Rs 3,000 as the first instalment of the demanded bribe.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of ACB Nagpur Superintendent of Police Dr Digambar Pradhan, Additional Superintendents of Police Madhuri Baviskar and Vijay Mahulkar. The trap team included Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahesh Bhortkar, Police Inspector Jitendra Vairagade, Police Constables Ashish Vaidya and Vilin Tambde, police personnel Homeshwar Waikar, Prafull Bhatulkar and Swati Hindoriya, along with driver Rajendra Jambhulkar.

The process of registering a case against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Ganeshpeth Police Station is underway.