2 Jammu power dept officials arrested for graft

Jammu: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday arrested two engineers of Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) for accepting a bribe of Rs 48,000, an official here said.

Assistant Executive Engineer, Surinder Kumar, and Assistant Engineer Charanjeet Singh were caught red-handed accepting the Rs 48,000 in bribe, a spokesman of the ACB said.

The arrest was made based on a complaint of an electrical contractor.

The contractor in his complaint said that he had been awarded a tender for relocating 33 KVA Line at Jagti by the JPDCL, and had submitted bills after completion of work on February 10.

He said that even though his bill amounted to Rs 19.41 lakh, he received only Rs 15.04 lakh from the department, the spokesman said.

When the complainant visited the office of AEE to inquire about the remaining Rs 3.82 lakh, the officer demanded a bribe of Rs 48,000 and asked him to give the money to Charanjeet, he said.

After the matter was reported, a trap team was hatched by the ACB and both officers were caught in the act of accepting bribe, and taken into custody.

The bribe money was recovered from their possession in presence of independent witnesses, the spokesman said.

Searches were conducted at residences of both the accused and the matter is further being inquired, he said.