Lokayukta police on Saturday arrested an executive engineer (EE) of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) and an outsourced car driver for allegedly accepting a ₹50,000 bribe near Vidhana Soudha.
The arrested officer has been identified as Jyothi Prakash (50), who was serving as officer on special duty (OSD) to the energy minister, and Naveen M (34), the driver.
Caught red-handed
According to officials, contractor Anantharaju K M, who was executing electrical work for a building developed by DR Developers, had applied for a No Objection Certificate (NoC) from KPTCL. Jyothi Prakash allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh to issue the clearance, with Naveen acting as the intermediary.
After Anantharaju lodged a complaint, Lokayukta officials laid a trap. As directed, the contractor met the accused near Vidhana Soudha around 3:30 pm, where Naveen was caught red-handed while accepting ₹50,000. Jyothi Prakash was subsequently arrested from within the Vidhana Soudha premises.
Officials said further investigation is underway to determine if more officials were involved