Three MSEDCL officials in ACB net for seeking ₹70K bribe

Three officials from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) have been caught accepting a bribe of ₹75,000 to reduce an electricity bill.

Thane

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The Thane Anti Corruption Bureau has trapped three Maharashtra State ElectricityDistribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) officials from Thane, Ulhasnagar and Ambernath and booked them under corruption charges for accepting ₹75,000 from the complainant to reduce their electricity bill from ₹three lakh to ₹one Lakh.

The trio was identified as Hemant Tidke,34, Assistant engineer, Thane. Sagar Thakur, 32, clerk from Ambernath. Pandurang Suryavamshi, 42, officer from Ulhasnagar and Nitin Salve, 35, a private person from Ambernath.

The Thane Anti corruption Bureau offic had received a complaint about these people for allegedly harassing the complainant and threatening to cut his power connection.

According to officials, on August 14, the accused Tidke, who was heading MSEDCL flying squad team, seized the light meter of the house of the complainant in Ulhasnagar. After inspection on August 28, he told the complainant that someone has tampered with the meter and their records show unpaid bills of three years which work out to around ₹3 to 4 lakh. However, in good faith he would like to reduce the final amount to ₹one lakh, he told the complainant.

According to ACB officials, the complainant had bills and receipts of all bill payments and didn’t want to fall for the accused’s trap and lodged a complaint against four persons who were demanding the money from him.

Anti-corruption Bureau officials verified the complaint and laid the trap. An officer said, “ We have found that the accused negotiated and finalised the bribe for ₹70,000 in person and over the phone. After which, at 11.33 am, on Monday accused Suryavanshi accepted the bribe of ₹70,000 near Radha Krishna Temple, Kalyan Badlapur Road, Ambernath west. He handed over the amount to Salve and we caught them red handed. We are checking all the details of these accused whether they have troubled any other persons like this.”