Mumbai: CBI arrests power official for accepting Rs one lakh bribe

A day after he was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly demanding a bribe, Govind Kumar, a government servant in the power sector, was arrested and remanded in judicial custody on Wednesday.

The CBI had on Tuesday booked Kumar, an an Engineer of Utility Powertech Ltd. Based in Solapur. Utility Powertech is a joint venture between a private company and the National Thermal Power Corporation, which is a central government enterprise.

Kumar had allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakh from the complainant, a contractor, in exchange for returning his security deposit. The demand was brought down to Rs two lakh and Kumar allegedly agreed to accept an initial installment of Rs one lakh.

Subsequently, the CBI laid a trap and arrested Kumar red handed while accepting the bribe amount. He was arrested and charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act, after which he was produced before a Solapur court and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, officials said.

“The accused has been working in UPL since 2015 on contract basis and looking after safety and accounts related issues in the absence of regular Accountant. Searches were conducted at the premises of accused in Solapur which led to recovery of incriminating documents,” said a CBI officer.