Puri: Vigilance sleuths Monday said they have arrested a clerk working at CESU on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a person for setting up a transformer.
They have also arrested a betel shop owner in this connection.
The accused men have been identified as Surendra Nayak – a Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) employee in Puri district and Narendra Biswal, a betel shop owner.
The bribe amount was seized from Surendra’s possession. His hand wash sample and chemical examination of notes confirmed acceptance of the bribe.
According to Vigilance officials, a 16kv transformer lied dead in the area owing to cyclone Fani. Even though the officials managed to restore power, there were fluctuations in voltage. Villagers had demanded the administration to solve it. However, their pleas fell on deaf ears.
A local man, identified as Surya Prasad Mishra, approached the Kanas block section junior engineer Saroj Kumar Behera over the issue. He was directed to contact clerk Surendra- who in turn demanded Rs 10,000 to set up the transformer.
Left with no choice, Surya approached the Vigilance officials Monday and narrated his ordeal. The Vigilance sleuths registered a case and laid a trap to nab Surendra. Surendra was accepting bribe from Behera when a team raided his office and caught him red-handed. Later they also arrested the betel shop owner Narendra who was also involved in this deal.
PNN