PCMC Chief Engineer Bribery Case: Pramod Ombhase in ACB Custody Over Rs 19,000 Demand; Assets of Rs 2.19 Crore Found
ACB arrested PCMC chief engineer Pramod Ombhase over an alleged Rs 19,000 bribe linked to a Rs 38 lakh tender. Search found assets worth Rs 2.19 crore.
Photo: DesiBoy101 / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pimpri-Chinchwad, 1st November 2026: A chief engineer of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), Pramod Sudhakar Ombhase, 57, is in police custody after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested him on Thursday, 29 October, over an alleged bribe demand of Rs 19,000 from a water supply contractor.
The ACB says it also found assets worth about Rs 2.19 crore during a search of his home in Pradhikaran, Nigdi. The allegations have not been proven in court.
What the ACB alleges
According to the ACB case details reported by the Free Press Journal, a contractor had won five PCMC tenders worth Rs 91.57 lakh for pipeline repairs, maintenance and new water lines. He needed senior officials to sign the agreements before he could get work orders.
The ACB alleges a demand of Rs 45,785, or 0.5 percent of the tender value, to sign all five. Superintending Engineer Ajay Suryawanshi allegedly signed three files and sent them to Ombhase, who allegedly asked for Rs 19,000 for those three files, worth about Rs 38 lakh.
The contractor, also 57, first met Ombhase on 29 May and approached the ACB on 11 June, when the bureau says it verified the demand. Ombhase was taken into custody at about 3 pm on 29 October, and a case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Nita Misal carried out the action.
Suryawanshi was also detained for questioning, Pune Pulse reported. His role is part of the investigation.
Custody and assets
Ombhase was produced before the Pimpri court on Friday. The ACB asked for three days of police custody to take his voice samples and match them with a recorded conversation; the court granted one day, Punekar News reported.
During the search of his three-storey bungalow in Nigdi, the ACB found Rs 1.25 lakh in cash, 25 tolas of gold jewellery and three cars, ACB Deputy Superintendent Satish Walke said. With the bungalow, the total value is estimated at Rs 2.19 crore. Whether these assets are disproportionate to his income has not been established.
Other PCMC staff questioned
PCMC Deputy Commissioner (Administration) Sandeep Khot directed three water supply department employees, the Deputy City Engineer, a clerk who handled the five works and a peon from Ombhase’s office, to appear at the ACB office in Pune on Saturday.
PCMC has not yet said whether Ombhase has been suspended. We will update this article as the case moves forward.
How to report a bribe demand
If any government employee asks you for money to clear a file, you can call the ACB Maharashtra toll-free helpline 1064 or complain through the ACB Maharashtra website. Keep a note of dates, names and amounts, as the ACB first verifies a demand before it lays a trap.
Pune city police also suspended eight personnel this week over similar allegations; read our report on the Pune Police Commissioner’s action. More civic news is in our Pimpri-Chinchwad section.
Frequently asked questions
Why was PCMC chief engineer Pramod Ombhase arrested?
The ACB alleges he demanded Rs 19,000 from a contractor to sign agreements for water pipeline works worth about Rs 38 lakh.
What assets did the ACB find?
Rs 1.25 lakh in cash, 25 tolas of gold and three cars, with a total value including his Nigdi bungalow of about Rs 2.19 crore.
How can I complain about a bribe demand in Maharashtra?
Call the ACB toll-free number 1064 or file a complaint on the ACB Maharashtra website.
