Ludhiana: PSPCL official caught ‘taking ₹5,000 as bribe’
A VB spokesperson said the case was registered on the complaint filed of a resident of New Amar Nagar, Daba, Ludhiana
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested Manoj Kumar, a junior engineer (JE) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), “red-handed while he was accepting ₹5,000 as bribe”.
A VB spokesperson said the case was registered on the complaint filed of a resident of New Amar Nagar, Daba, Ludhiana. The complainant, who runs a welding shop, stated that his wife had purchased a two-story house in New Amar Nagar where he intended to set up a small factory on the ground floor, requiring a 10 KW commercial electricity meter.
According to the complaint, he submitted an application for the same at the PSPCL office in Janta Nagar, Ludhiana, and deposited the required fee. “Fifteen days later, JE Manoj Kumar visited the site and took ₹3,000 from him for miscellaneous expenses. He demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 stating that the meter would only be installed once the bribe was paid,” the complainant mentioned.
On February 19, when the complainant again visited the PSPCL office, the JE reiterated his demand for a bribe. Upon the complainant’s request, the JE agreed to accept an advance payment of ₹5,000 with the remaining amount to be collected after the installation, he stated. The JE then called the complainant to the office for payment.
The VB spokesperson further added that following verification of the complaint, a vigilance team from Ludhiana range laid a trap during which the accused was caught red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 in the presence of two official witnesses at the PSPCL office in Janta Nagar, Ludhiana.
A case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against JE Manoj Kumar at the VB police station, Ludhiana range. The accused would be produced in a competent court on Saturday. Further investigation is under progress, he added.
