BHUBANESWAR: Vigilance has arrested an executive engineer of TP Central Odisha Distribution limited (TPCODL), Bhubaneswar, while he was allegedly accepting Rs 20,000 bribe from a contractor to provide an inspection report in the latter’s favour.
On receiving a complaint, the anti-corruption agency laid a trap outside the residence of executive engineer Tusharkant Ray late on Wednesday night, and caught him red-handed while accepting the bribe money. Investigation revealed Ray was demanding bribe from the contractor to provide the final inspection report in his favour for supplying electricity to a transformer installed by the latter at an apartment here.
The complainant had since the last two months been requesting Ray to provide the report to help him collect the payment against his bill. As Ray remained adamant that he would not provide the bill without receiving the bribe, the contractor informed the matter to the Vigilance.
After apprehending Ray from a park near his house and seizing the bribe money, the anti-corruption agency carried out simultaneous raids at his rented accommodation in Sailashree Vihar, parental house in Kanan Vihar and his office chamber.
During searches, the officials seized Rs 9.53 lakh from his residence here as he was unable to give a satisfactory response regarding the source of the money. This apart, they also found Ray’s bank, postal and other savings amounting to Rs 1.85 crore.
Vigilance officers said they suspect Ray may have made many of the cash deposits through ill-gotten money. “A bribery case was registered against Ray and investigation is underway to ascertain if he has amassed disproportionate assets (DA) too,” said a Vigilance officer adding, if it is established that Ray has accumulated property through ill-gotten means, a separate DA case will registered against him and further action will be initiated accordingly.