A Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) Foreman Grade-I was arrested in Guindy after allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh to facilitate an increase in the electricity load for a commercial building, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) said.
The arrest was made on Wednesday, October 21, during a trap operation organised by the DVAC’s Chennai detachment. The case followed a complaint from Sasikumar, a resident of Perambur, who had applied to the TNPDCL Assistant Engineer’s office in Guindy for an increase in the sanctioned electricity load for his commercial building.
According to the DVAC, Sasikumar had sought to raise the load from 5 kilowatts to 49 kilowatts. Assistant Engineer Sathyamoorthy allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from him for providing the additional load connection.
Unwilling to pay the amount, Sasikumar approached the DVAC’s Chennai detachment and lodged a complaint. The anti-corruption agency subsequently registered a case and arranged the trap, according to the report.
During the operation, Foreman Grade-I John De Brito allegedly demanded and accepted Rs 5 lakh from Sasikumar on the instructions of Sathyamoorthy, the DVAC said. John De Brito was arrested in connection with the case.
The alleged transaction concerned the process of obtaining a higher electricity load for a commercial property. Such load enhancements are part of the utility interface faced by businesses when their electricity requirements exceed an existing sanctioned capacity. In this case, the requested increase was from 5 KW to 49 KW, according to the complaint details cited by the DVAC.
The case places scrutiny on the administrative process through which commercial users seek changes to their electricity connections. While the available information identifies the alleged demand, the arrested employee and the official said to have instructed him, it does not establish whether the requested load enhancement had been approved or completed.
The DVAC’s account also distinguishes the alleged roles of the two TNPDCL employees. It said Sathyamoorthy allegedly demanded the money, while John De Brito allegedly accepted it during the trap operation on Sathyamoorthy’s instructions. Only John De Brito’s arrest is specifically reported in the supplied account.
Further action in the case is expected to follow, according to the DVAC. The agency’s investigation will determine the next legal and departmental steps arising from the alleged payment and the proposed electricity-load connection.
