The West Bengal Police Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday allegedly caught a West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited officer accepting a ₹20,000 bribe in New Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas, over a new electricity connection and the installation of a transformer.
According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, a resident of New Barrackpore had submitted a written complaint alleging that the officer demanded the money in return for completing the electricity-related work. The proposed connection reportedly required the installation of a 315 kVA transformer in the area.
The complaint was received after the resident alleged that the officer had sought the payment to ensure that the new connection and transformer installation were completed properly. The Anti-Corruption Bureau then arranged a trap to verify the allegation, according to information attributed to agency sources by Anandabazar.
As part of the operation, officials contacted the officer at a predetermined time on Tuesday. The complainant allegedly handed over the money while Anti-Corruption Bureau officials were monitoring the exchange. The officer was then caught at the spot, the report said.
The agency recovered the full amount in accordance with the procedure followed during the operation. The report did not identify the officer by name or provide details about the exact location where the exchange took place.
The case concerns a routine but essential public utility service: obtaining a new electricity connection and arranging the distribution infrastructure needed to serve it. In this instance, the reported requirement for a 315 kVA transformer indicates that the connection involved additional electrical infrastructure rather than only a household-level service request. The supplied report does not provide details about the number of consumers expected to benefit from the proposed transformer or the project’s scheduled completion date.
Following a preliminary investigation, the Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case against the arrested officer under applicable provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The report does not specify the exact sections invoked.
The agency is also investigating whether other people were involved in the alleged demand or whether a wider network operated behind the incident. No further arrests or additional accused persons were identified in the supplied report.
The case highlights the administrative point at which citizens seeking utility access can become dependent on individual officials for approvals, technical work or implementation. However, the available information establishes only the allegation, the trap operation, the recovery of the money and registration of the case; it does not establish the outcome of the prosecution or the status of the proposed electricity connection and transformer installation.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau’s investigation into possible wider involvement is continuing, according to the report.
