Jabalpur: In a major anti-corruption operation, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested two senior Public Health Engineering (PHE) officials for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 24,000. The officials, an Executive Engineer and a Senior Accounts Clerk were caught red-handed.
The arrests were made following a complaint by Rohit Barolia, a contractor who had completed maintenance work on handpumps in the Sihora block in 2022-23. According to the complaint, the two officials were demanding a 5% cut from the final bill of Rs 2,47,000 to process the payment.
The accused have been identified as Sharad Kumar Singh, the Executive Engineer, and Vikas Patel, the Senior Accounts Clerk. Barolia stated in his complaint that the duo was demanding a total of Rs 24,000—a 5% bribe from each of them—to clear the bill. After a swift verification of the complaint, the EOW set up a trap and apprehended the officials as they accepted the bribe. A case has been filed against both men under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The arrests underscore the EOW’s commitment to rooting out corruption in public departments.
