Palghar: ACB arrests two for demanding bribe from power consumer

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a senior technician of state-run power distributor MSEDCL and a middleman for demanding and accepting a bribe from a power consumer in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official said on Thursday.

Technician Gopal Paliwal disconnected the power supply of the complainant’s home on July 31 but the latter reconnected it on his own, said Dayanand Gawade, deputy superintendent of police (ACB-Palghar) in a statement.

After learning about the reconnection of the supply line, Paliwal demanded Rs 10,000 from the complainant for not taking action against him for theft of power from Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). He brought down the amount to Rs 8,000 after negotiation.

After being alerted by the complainant, ACB laid a trap on Wednesday and caught a middleman named Hemant Churi accepting Rs 7,000 of the bribe on behalf of Paliwal, who too was arrested later, said the anti-graft agency.