Nagpur: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Nagpur unit, on Thursday trapped a senior officer of the Water Resources Department for allegedly demanding a 2 percent bribe commission to release pending contractor bills and approve fresh tenders. The accused officer was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 70,000 inside his office chamber in Nagpur.

The accused has been identified as Ravindra Nilkanthrao Wankhede, a Class-I officer serving as Superintending Engineer in the Mechanical Circle of the Water Resources Department.

According to ACB officials, the complainant is a registered contractor who had completed check dam works worth Rs 10 lakh at Karajkheda in Bhandara district and Rs 15 lakh at Lakhamapur in Nagpur district. The contractor had submitted pending bills amounting to Rs 25 lakh for approval before the department.

Police said the accused officer allegedly demanded a 2 percent commission, amounting to Rs 50,000, for clearing the pending bills. The complainant subsequently approached the ACB office in Nagpur and lodged a complaint.

During verification conducted on May 21, 2026, the accused allegedly confirmed the demand and also sought an additional Rs 20,000, again calculated at 2 percent, for approving fresh tenders related to check dam projects worth Rs 10 lakh at Bhuratola in Bhandara district and Khadki Minor in Nagpur district in favour of the complainant.

Following the verification process, the ACB team laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while allegedly accepting the total bribe amount of Rs 70,000 inside his office cabin. During the search, officials also recovered an additional Rs 36,630 from his possession apart from the trap amount.

A case is being registered against the accused at Dhantoli Police Station and further investigation is underway.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Dr Digambar Pradhan, Madhuri Baviskar and Vijay Mahulkar along with other officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.