PARVATHIPURAM-MANYAM: An assistant engineer working in APEPDCL escaped from the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Parvathipuram-Manyam district on Sunday evening. He threw the bribe amount into the farmland and fled in a car after noticing that the ACB had laid a trap. He also rammed his car into the bike of an ACB inspector who tried to stop his vehicle. However, the inspector escaped with minor injuries.
The tainted assistant engineer Polaki Santharao of Makkuva Mandal had demanded Rs 60,000 as a bribe from a farmer for an official favour and was caught while accepting Rs 40,000.
According to ACB DSP Ramachandra Rao, the complainant D Easwar Rao, a resident of Mulakkayavalasa village, had dug a borewell in his farmlands and approached the Makkuva Mandal assistant engineer Polaki Santharao requesting for an electrical connection.
However, Santharao demanded Rs 60,000 from Easwar Rao as a bribe for doing the official work. He also asked for another Rs 4,000 to submit an online application to APEPDCL for the electricity connection.
With no other option, Eswarrao paid Rs 20,000 as an advance and sent the application fee of Rs 4,000 through UPI. However, on Sunday, the tainted official demanded Easwar Rao to pay the remaining amount. Not willing to give the bribe, Easwar Rao lodged a complaint with the ACB officials, following which Vizianagaram ACB laid a trap to catch him.
As planned, the DSP along with his team was waiting at the farmland to catch the assistant engineer while taking the bribe on Sunday.
However, the official noticed the ACB sleuths and fled from the spot, throwing away the bribe amount in the nearby bushes. Even though the sleuths were successful in stopping the car, the accused allegedly ran away leaving behind the car. Speaking to TNIE, DSP P Ramachandra Rao said, “We have registered a case. Four teams formed to nab AE.”