Two officials from Gujarat’s Food and Drugs Department, including an Assistant Commissioner, were allegedly caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while accepting a ₹40,000 bribe in Bharuch on August 18, 2026. The alleged bribe was linked to the processing of a new wholesale licence for medicines.

The accused have been identified as 54-year-old Prakashbhai Posnani, Assistant Commissioner of the Food and Drugs Department in Bharuch and a Class-I officer, and 29-year-old Surbhiben Desai, a Drug Inspector and Class-II officer.

According to the ACB, a complainant had applied for a new wholesale drug licence. During the processing of the application, Desai allegedly told the applicant that the licence could be processed but demanded between ₹40,000 and ₹50,000, allegedly on behalf of a senior official.

Unwilling to pay the alleged bribe, the complainant approached the Narmada ACB Police Station. Following the complaint, the ACB planned a trap at the Assistant Commissioner’s chamber at the Food and Drugs Control Administration office in Bharuch on August 18.

During the operation, the two officials allegedly accepted ₹40,000 from the complainant. The ACB subsequently recovered the entire amount and detained the accused officials for further legal proceedings.

The ACB has alleged that the officials misused their positions as public servants and committed criminal misconduct by accepting the money. The trap operation was conducted by Police Inspector D D Vasava under the supervision of senior ACB officials from the Vadodara unit.

The investigation and further legal proceedings against the two accused officials are underway. The allegations are subject to the outcome of the legal process.