Two ‘Honest’ Surat AAP Corporators Demand ₹10 Lakh Bribe; One Arrested, One Absconding

Two corporators from Surat, Jeetu Kachhadiya and Vipul Suhagiya, who are part of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which claims to be an honest party, have been accused in an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case for demanding a bribe of ₹10 lakh. They allegedly threatened to cancel a contractor’s multi-level ‘Pay and Park’ contract, citing encroachments in the vegetable market area, and demanded a bribe to drop the matter. Currently, Vipul Suhagiya has been arrested, while Jeetu Kachhadiya is on the run.

Corporators Visit ‘Pay and Park’ Site to Execute ₹10 Lakh Bribe Plan 

A multi-level ‘Pay and Park’ facility has been developed on Final Plot No. 88 of Town Planning Scheme No. 53 in Magob village under the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC). The complainant contractor had been awarded the contract for this facility. Adjacent to this parking area, the SMC had also allocated space for a vegetable market. The corporators of Surat’s Puna Ward Nos. 16 and 17, Jeetu alias Jitendra Panchabhai Kachhadiya and Vipul Vasram Suhagiya, visited the ‘Pay and Park’ site as part of their plan.

Corporators Demand ₹11 Lakh to Avoid Contract Cancellation 

During their visit, the corporators accused the contractor of illegal encroachment in the vegetable market area, leading to a heated argument. They threatened to file a police complaint and have the contract canceled. They also forced the contractor to sign an apology letter for the alleged encroachment. The corporators then demanded ₹11 lakh from the contractor to prevent the contract from being canceled.

Codeword for Bribe: ‘Documents’ Referred to as Money 

The corporators discussed the bribe demand both in person and over the phone, and after prolonged negotiations, they settled on a bribe amount of ₹10 lakh. The contractor secretly recorded these conversations. In the discussions, the accused used the codeword ‘documents’ to refer to the money. The recordings made it clear that ‘documents’ were actually referring to the bribe money.

No-Tempering Certificate for Audio CD Obtained 

The contractor, unwilling to pay the bribe, submitted the audio recording of the conversations to the ACB along with a formal complaint. Based on this, the ACB conducted a preliminary investigation, during which they obtained a ‘No-Tempering’ certificate for the audio CD from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). Upon reviewing the recorded conversations, it was confirmed that the corporators had indeed demanded a bribe.

FSL Confirms Voices Belong to the Accused 

Following legal procedures, the voices of the complainant and the accused were subjected to a ‘Voice Spectrography’ test at the FSL. The test confirmed that the voices in the submitted CD belonged to the complainant contractor and the accused corporators. This evidence fully supported the allegations of a ₹10 lakh bribe demand during the investigation.

Arrest of One AAP Corporator, One on the Run 

Regarding the case, Surat Anti-Corruption Bureau’s ACP R.R. Chaudhary stated that scientific investigation based on the evidence collected confirmed the offense under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the two corporators, Jeetu alias Jitendra Panchabhai Kachhadiya and Vipul Vasram Suhagiya. Inspector Kalpesh Dhadu of the Surat ACB Police Station filed the case on behalf of the government. Out of the two accused, Vipul has been arrested, while Jeetu is currently on the run. His arrest is expected soon.