Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar's brother-in-law Dilip Malvankar was arrested late on Tuesday by the Anti-Corruption Bureau while accepting a bribe of Rs.1 lakh to facilitate allotment of a plot at an industrial estate.
Parsekar, speaking to IANS, confirmed that the accused was his relative, but also added that "law will take its own course" in the case.
Malvankar, a field manager at the state government-operated Goa Industrial Development Corporation, was arrested by ACB sleuths on Tuesday night while accepting the bribe from the complainant, whose name has not been revealed, in order to facilitate the allotment of a plot to set up an Ayurvedic medicine production project at the Tuem industrial estate in North Goa, 45 km from here.
The ACB, which as a norm issues a media statement following graft-related arrests, did not formally inform the media about Malvankar's arrest.
The news of Malvankar's arrest broke first on the social media on Wednesday evening.
Parsekar confirmed that Malvankar was his relative, but also added that the family ties would not impede the police investigation.
"He is my relative, I cannot deny it, but law will take its own course," Parsekar said.