BESCOM engineer caught taking bribe of Rs 1.3 lakh in Bengaluru

Assistant engineer Hanumanthappa had demanded Rs 3 lakh to provide electricity connection to an apartment in Marappa Garden near Benson Town.
A man holding two thousand rupees notes.
A man holding two thousand rupees notes.
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An assistant engineer of Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) was caught red-handed taking a bribe of Rs 1.3 lakh by Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Monday, August 1. Hanumanthappa demanded Rs 3 lakh to provide electricity connection to an apartment in Marappa Garden near Benson Town, as per a report in the Times of India.

Officials from the ACB said that an electrical contractor from RT Nagar requested line approval and an energy connection for an apartment in Benson Town's Marappa Garden that had been constructed by one of his friends. He met Hanumanthappa in October 2021 to enquire about the progress of his online application.

Hanumanthappa allegedly requested payment from the contractor in order to complete his work. He didn't specify the amount at first, but on July 26 he demanded Rs 3 lakh before reducing the amount to Rs 1.6 lakh.

According to preliminary investigation, Hanumanthappa was aware that his office would be empty on Sunday, July 31. He consequently requested the contractor to pay him Rs 1.3 lakh in the office on Sunday and the rest Rs 30,000 shortly after his work was over.

The contractor approached ACB and lodged a complaint. The ACB officers conducted an operation based on the contractor's complaint and arrested Hanumanthappa while he was receiving the money.

This is not the first time ACB officials have laid a trap in order to detain BESCOM employees taking bribes. In April 2022, Deccan Herald (DH) reported an incident where ACB officials arrested Naveen B, an assistant engineer of BESCOM while taking a bribe of Rs 20,000.

On February 18, Sudarshan Nayak, an assistant engineer of BESCOM was caught red-handed by the ACB officials while taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for disconnecting the power supply to an unauthorised apartment, as per a DH report.

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