Complainants who assist the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau to trap officials seeking bribes, are paying a price for their co-operation. With the state facing a resource crunch, many are still to recover the money spent on these sting operations. A year after Jalgaon Municipal Council President K.D. Patil was caught accepting Rs 10 lakh as bribe, senior BJP leader Kailash Sonawane is yet to get his money back.After a series of letters and meetings with ACB sleuths, the unit has expressed inability to return the money used to trap the official. ‘‘I am upset with the ACB’s response,’’ says Sonawane.The ACB owes Rs 36 lakh to over a dozen individuals. The issue of refunds was discussed at length at a meeting presided over by Dy CM Chhagan Bhujbal. ‘‘We have to refund Rs 36 lakh to complainants. We brought it to the notice of the state, but in view of the resource crunch, the government has expressed its inability to release funds,’’ a senior ACB official said.
