The suspects, a machine operator from the Pottuvil Divisional Irrigation Engineering Office and a maintenance worker from the Akkarapattu Assistant Engineering Unit Office, were apprehended following a complaint filed by a resident of the Addalachena area.
According to the complaint, the suspects claimed that the fuel provided by the Farmers’ Association for an excavator, which was deployed by the Akkarapattu Irrigation Department to clean a canal supplying water to paddy fields in the Kochchikachchena area, was insufficient. They demanded an additional 51 liters of diesel to complete the task and allegedly received Rs. 13,200 as a bribe.
The Bribery Commission has taken action against both officials on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe, as well as facilitating financial misconduct.
The suspects are scheduled to be produced before the Akkarapattu Magistrate’s Court.
