Kochi: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested an assistant engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) for allegedly accepting bribe from a builder, officials said on Thursday.

According to officials, the accused is Pradeep N, a native of Palarivattom. He was serving at the Thevara Electrical Section office in Ernakulam when the Ernakulam unit of the VCAB caught him on Wednesday.

Officials said that the complainant, an assistant manager at a private construction company, had taken a temporary electricity connection from the Thevara KSEB Section office for the construction of a four-storey apartment near Panampilly Nagar in Kochi.

After the building was completed, the complainant and the building owner approached the Thevara office to convert the temporary connection to a permanent one. However, they were informed that the matter could be processed only after meeting the assistant engineer in person, the official said.

Upon meeting Pradeep, he allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹1.50 lakh  from them to provide a permanent connection and avoid procedural delays, he said.

Later, the accused contacted the complainant and asked him to hand over ₹90,000 on Wednesday afternoon, the VCAB officer said.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant reported the matter to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, Ernakulam.

Acting on the complaint, a vigilance team laid a trap and caught Pradeep red-handed at the Thevara junction bus stop while accepting ₹90,000 from the complainant in the evening, VACB said.

The accused will be produced before the Vigilance Court in Kottayam on Thursday.