A special court on Wednesday, April 22, remanded Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Deputy Commissioner Kailash Somanath Gaikwad to police custody till April 24 in connection with a bribery case, a day after he was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Gaikwad, a Class I officer attached to the encroachment department, was arrested on April 21 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 42,000 from a contractor to clear a pending bill of around Rs 21 lakh, officials said.
Trap laid after contractor’s complaint
According to ACB officials, the complainant had carried out encroachment removal-related work in the Airoli division between November 2024 and February 2025. Despite completing the work, the payment was allegedly withheld, following which Gaikwad demanded approximately 2 per cent of the bill amount to process the dues.
Acting on a complaint filed on April 20, the ACB verified the allegations and laid a trap at the NMMC headquarters in CBD Belapur. Gaikwad was caught accepting the bribe amount in his office on the third floor of the civic building.
Further probe likely into assets
Officials said custody was sought to probe whether the accused was involved in similar offences and to examine his financial records and possible disproportionate assets.
An FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and investigators are also looking into whether other officials or middlemen were involved in the case.
The arrest has sent ripples within the civic body, with sources indicating that internal scrutiny of files cleared by the accused officer may also be initiated.
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