In a major anti-corruption operation, Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Jabalpur, caught two senior officials of Madhya Pradesh Poorva Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company (MPPKVVCL) red-handed while accepting a bribe for clearing a contractor’s payment. The accused have been identified as Prahlad Marskole, Additional Chief Engineer (Civil), and Chandrashekhar Mehra, Executive Engineer (Civil), both posted at Superintending Engineer's Office, MP Poorv Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company, Rampur, Jabalpur. According to EOW, complainant Ashok Kumar Dwivedi, a resident of Gupteshwar, Jabalpur, charged that the officials had demanded a total bribe of Rs 50,000 to release a pending payment of Rs 10 lakh for the construction of a Junior Engineer’s office at Bachaiya village in Bahoriband tehsil of Katni district.

 

Mehra had demanded Rs 20,000, while Marskole sought Rs 30,000. During verification, the EOW found the allegations to be genuine. Investi-gators also discovered that Executive Engineer Chandra-shekhar Mehra had already accepted Rs 5,000 from the complainant as part of the bribe. Acting on the complaint, the EOW laid a trap on June 29, and caught both officials simultaneously inside their office while accepting the remaining bribe amount. Prahlad Marskole was caught accepting Rs 10,000, while Chandrashekhar Mehra was caught accepting Rs 15,000, taking the total trap amount to Rs 25,000. Following the successful operation, the EOW registered a case against both accused under Section 7(A) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Further investigation and legal proceedings are underway.