Mumbai: The Maharashtra police, who had highest number of bribery cases registered against them last year, have topped the corruption chart in the state during the first half of the year with 53 cases filed against them.

The police department was followed by employees from the revenue department and the state electricity board in corruption cases.

According to the figures available with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) till June-end, 66 policemen were caught red-handed by the ACB while accepting bribe. Three ‘mediators’ were held for aiding the police.

Similarly, 46 revenue department employees and their six associates were caught in 41 traps laid by the ACB.

While 18 employees of Maharashtra State Electricity Board and one mediator were arrested in 15 bribery cases. “We are doing our best to eradicate corruption. We are taking serious note of complaints and laying traps to nab corrupt employees,” additional police commissioner Niket Kaushik said while refusing to draw any conclusion based on the statistics.

A total 119 policemen were arrested in 93 cases registered against them in 2008,followed by employees from the revenue department and civic bodies. Most of those arrested on charges of corruption from the police department were class III employees.

“Class III employees generally come in direct contact with common man. When they demand money, the victim makes complaints after which we trap them,” observed a police officer of ACB.

The officer said that one should not conclude that the corruption is more in police department based on the data. “Corruption may be more in other departments also. The victims might not be complaining in many cases,” the officerobserved.

Lawyer YP Singh, who resigned after nearly 20 years in the Indian Police Service citing corruption in the force, says corruption is rampant in the entire system. “The data does not reflect the exact picture,” said Singh, who is directing a movie based on his book Carnage by Angels, in which he portrayed a police officer getting his lessons in corruption from a constable.

“When both, the giver and the taker, are beneficiaries, then nobody complains. This happens in several departments,” he said.

Of the 46 Revenue Department employees arrested on corruption charges, one of class IV, 38 were of class III employees, two of class II and five of class I officers.