PUDUCHERRY: A junior engineer from the Electricity Department in Vadhanur was arrested on Saturday for allegedly accepting a bribe in exchange for providing an electricity connection to agricultural land.
The complaint was filed by Bhupathi Raja, a resident of Sellipet village and a constable in the Puducherry police department. He had applied for a new agricultural electricity service connection for his farmland but alleged that the junior engineer, Rajendran, demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 to process the application.
After negotiations, Rajendran is said to have agreed to accept Rs 9,000. Unwilling to pay the bribe, Bhupathi Raja approached the Anti-Corruption Police and lodged a complaint. The officials arranged a trap where they provided the complainant with currency notes coated with a chemical powder and instructed him to hand over the money to the accused.
When Bhupathi Raja visited the Vadhanur office and paid the tainted currency, the officials who were waiting nearby, conducted a surprise raid. Rajendran was caught red-handed in possession of the marked notes. He was immediately arrested.
Further investigation is under way to determine whether more officials were involved in the bribery demand and if similar complaints exist against the accused.