Assistant engineer held in Trichy for taking ₹5,000 bribe

Trichy: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday arrested an assistant electrical engineer in Marungapuri for allegedly accepting a ₹5,000 bribe from a farmer seeking a free agricultural electricity connection under a government scheme.The accused, Parthiban, was serving as assistant electrical engineer at the Marungapuri office in Trichy district. DVAC officials said he had initially demanded ₹10,000 from Mariappan, a farmer, to process the free power connection for his agricultural land. The amount was later reduced to ₹5,000. Refusing to pay the bribe, Mariappan lodged a complaint with the DVAC's Trichy unit. A case was registered on March 4, following which a trap was laid under the supervision of deputy superintendent Manikandan, along with inspectors Sakthivel, Xavier Rani and Balamurugan. Parthiban was caught red-handed while receiving the bribe at his office, officials said. Further investigation is under way. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !