KOCHI: The Ernakulam unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Wednesday nabbed an assistant engineer with the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) as he was accepting a bribe of `90,000 from a builder at Thevara.
Predeepan N, a resident of Kaloor, who works at the KSEB’s Thevara division office, was caught red-handed accepting the amount from the complainant near a bus stop at Thevara around 6 pm, said a VACB source.
The complainant, an assistant manager with a private construction company, approached the office to convert a temporary electrical connection to a permanent one at a four-storeyed apartment building in Panampilly Nagar. However, the complainant was told that a permanent connection could be granted only if they met the assistant engineer.
The accused allegedly asked for a payment of Rs 1.5 lakh, and Rs 90,000 as a bribe and to avoid ‘unnecessary hassles’. The complainant alerted the VACB DSP about the demand and a trap was laid,” said the VACB official.