Electricity Board official caught red-handed in Kerala's Kochi

Kochi (Kerala), Nov 12 (PTI) The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested an assistant engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) for allegedly accepting a bribe for securing a permanent electricity connection, officials said on Thursday. The accused, identified as Pradeep N, a native of Palarivattom and serving at the Thevara Electrical Section office in Ernakulam, was caught red-handed by the VACB Ernakulam unit on Wednesday, an official said. According to officials, the complainant, an assistant manager at a private construction company, had taken a temporary electricity connection from the Thevara KSEB Section office for the construction of a four-storey apartment near Panampilly Nagar in Kochi. After the building was completed, the complainant and the building owner approached the Thevara office to convert the temporary connection to a permanent one. However, they were informed that the matter could be processed only after meeting the assistant engineer in person, the official said. When they met Pradeep, he allegedly demanded Rs 1.50 lakh as a bribe for providing the permanent connection and for avoiding procedural delays, he said. According to the VACB officer, later, the accused contacted the complainant and asked him to hand over Rs 90,000 on Wednesday afternoon. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant reported the matter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Ernakulam. Acting on the complaint, a vigilance team laid a trap and caught Pradeep red-handed at the Thevara junction bus stop while accepting Rs 90,000 from the complainant in the evening, VACB said. The accused will be produced before the Vigilance Court in Kottayam on Thursday. PTI TBA TBA KH