Power board official held for graft
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 6
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department has caught chief engineer (operations) of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) Latish Malhotra and a Nagrota Bagwan-based contractor Sanjeev Chibber on graft charges.

Additional SP (Vigilance), Dharamsala, Divakar Sharma, who was heading the operation, said they got information that the accused were discussing some shady deal at the residence of the chief engineer. The team raided the house of the CE and recovered Rs 4.5 lakh in cash.

Both accused were also present at the residence and had been detained for questioning. The Vigilance would now question the accused regarding the availability of large amount of cash in the house of the chief engineer.

The ASP also said the cash recovered from the official residence of the chief engineer was the graft amount paid by contractor Sanjeev Chibber for getting some work done in the department.

The accused chief engineer was going to retire at the end of this month.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused.

It is first time that a chief engineer rank officer from the state cadre has been arrested from the Kangra district. Earlier, the Vigilance had arrested an NHPC chief engineer on graft charges.