Maharashtra: Two engineers in ACB net for accepting bribe

Thane: Two Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) engineers have been arrested by the ACB from neighbouring Raigad district, in separate cases of graft.

According to a release from the Thane unit of the ACB, both the MSEB officials were arrested yesterday.

In the first incident, Deputy Executive Engineer Balaji Waghmode, 47, was caught receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant at his Karjat office.

The engineer had demanded Rs 2,000 from each of the 25 flat owners of a housing society at Neral in Karjat for providing electric meter connections.

 The demand was made from the manager of a contract firm, which had applied for the connectionS on behalf of the flat owners.

The complainant had lodged a complainant with the Thane ACB, which laid a trap and arrested the engineer.

In another instance, Assistant Engineer Bhausheb Chowdhary, 57, who accepted a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant, was arrested by the ACB.

Chowdhary too had demanded money to provide power connection to 34 flats in a housing society at Neral.

He had sought Rs 500 from each of the 34 flat owners totalling Rs 17,000. 

Another Rs 10,000 was to be given as transformer charges, the ACB release said.

Both the accused have been charged under sections 7,13(1),(d) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and offences have been registered with local police station, it added.