2 Custom officials get 3 years Jail for taking bribe at Mumbai Airport

A special CBI court here sentenced two former customs officials to three years in prison for accepting a bribe from a cinematographer in exchange for issuing an export permit for camera equipment in 2018.

The accused, Vasudeo Ninave and Jagdish Mondkar, were found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act by Special Judge for CBI Cases S H Gwalani, On September 5. The detailed order became accessible, on Thursday.

Ninave and Mondkar were working as customs superintendent and hawaladar at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport’s terminal 2 at the time of the event.

Omkar Raut, a photographer and cinematographer, filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Corruption Bureau, stating that the duo wanted Rs 5,000 from him and his friend Puneet Desai in exchange for getting an export licence for the camera equipment they were carrying to Qatar.

Desai allegedly provided Rs.4,000 to Mondkar in the airport’s departure lounge washroom under duress after negotiating with Ninave.

The court determined that there was evidence to show that the accused plainly abused their positions as public workers, and that the prosecution was successful in proving its case.