Tirupur: A Tamil Nadu Electricity Board official, Suresh Babu (59), was arrested here for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a grocery shop owner, Faiz Ahmed, who had applied for an electricity connection to his house. Suresh has been working as an assistant engineer in the Palladam office for the past five years.

The arrest took place just four months before his retirement. Faiz Ahmed, a resident of Anna Nagar, Palladam, reported that Suresh Babu had delayed the process by claiming that a new post should be installed to provide the connection, which would take time. When Faiz Ahmed asked to speed up the process, Suresh Babu demanded Rs 5,000. 

Refusing to pay a bribe, Faiz reached out to the Vigilance authorities. Suresh Babu was apprehended by officials, while accepting the currency notes supplied by the Vigilance team.