MUMBAI: The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Monday caught three persons, including a BJP corporator 's wife and a BMC engineer, accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000. A hunt is on for corporator Mahant Chaubey . Chaubey was not at his Antop Hill home when the ACB sleuths laid the trap.

In last 2 weeks the state Acb have arrested more than two dozen civil servants including senior class one officers all over the state. Sources said that director general of police (acb) Praveen Dixit is instrumental in creating awareness about corruption and is encouraging officers to lay traps.

According to the ACB, the complaint in the case was filed by a civil contractor who does small construction works in slum pockets of Antop Hill, Wadala. The contractor told the ACB that BMC engineer Anand Rai of the F (North) ward had visited his construction site and threatened to demolish the structure. The contractor alleged that Rai had accepted Rs 7,000 from him in the past, but he was demanding Rs 10,000 again. He also allegedly asked the complainant to meet corporator Mahant Chaubey, who in-turn demanded Rs 10,000 for turning a blind eye to the illegal construction.

Fed up of the constant demands, the complainant then approached the ACB, which laid a trap on Monday. "Chaubey had asked the complainant to hand over the money to his wife. When the complainant gave the cash, Chaubey's wife Urmila accepted it and handed it over to her domestic help Geeta Yadav. At the same time

Rai had also come to claim a share in the bribe. Hence, we arrested all three and are now looking for Chaubey," said an ACB officer.

