Lokayukta police have arrested a Bescom assistant engineer who allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2.30 lakh for providing power connections to several homes in HSR Layout, Southeast Bengaluru.
A tout who facilitated the transcription has also been arrested.
In a statement, Lokayukta police said Santosh, the Bescom assistant engineer posted at Agara, S-20, and a tout named Mallikarjun were “caught red-handed” taking the bribe.
Venugopal S, an electrical contractor, had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police’s Bengaluru city unit, stating that the Bescom official had demanded a bribe of Rs 2.3 lakh to provide power connections to the homes of B N Sujit Kumar and others in HSR Layout.
The police launched an investigation and asked the complainant to meet the Bescom official with Rs 1.5 lakh in cash.
The police subsequently caught the official in the act on Tuesday, the statement added.
Santosh and Mallikarjun have been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act and will be produced before the court, the statement said.
Food inspector convicted
H S Shankar, a food inspector with the Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000. He overcharged citizens who applied for ration cards.
Lokayukta police launched an investigation against Shankar after receiving a complaint and subsequently charged him.
He was convicted and sentenced by the 9th Additional City and Sessions Court Judge and Special Judge on Tuesday.
Shankar, posted in Anekal taluk, was raided by Lokayukta police on June 27, 2013. He had taken Rs 71,610 from citizens in just a week.