Mumbai: The CBI arrested an Archaeological Survey of India’s Conservation Assistant at Nashik and a contract worker for taking a Rs 20,000 bribe from a graphic designer employed by a tour planning company, to return his drone camera. In September last year, the graphic designer, who filed the CBI complaint, was recording aerial footage near Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik when temple trust staff objected. The trust workers seized the drone camera and transferred it to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials, as the temple is a protected monument under ASI supervision.
When the complainant visited Nashik to retrieve his drone, Deepak Chaudhari, Conservation Assistant, and Prakash Kaklij, a contractual employee, initially demanded Rs 50,000 as a bribe for the camera’s release. Following negotiations, they agreed to reduce the amount to Rs 20,000.
The complainant contacted the CBI regarding the bribe solicitation. The CBI set up an operation and caught Chaudhari and Kaklij. On Tuesday, the accused were presented before a Nashik court, which granted two days of CBI custody.