Putturu : Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) personnel arrested Puttur tahsildar Pradeep Kumar on the charge of demanding and accepting a bribe.

He had allegedly demanded ₹1.25 lakh to clear the bills of a catering contractor who supplied food during the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The catering contractor, who was to be paid ₹9.37 lakh by the government as food bill, complained to the ACB about the demand for bribe. Uma Prashanth, Superintendent of Police, ACB, Mangaluru, in a communiqué here, said the accused was caught while receiving the bribe. Further investigation is on, she said.

Deputy Commissioner S. Sasikanth Senthil said it was an unfortunate incident and the accused would be suspended by Friday. The tahsildar was on probation, he added.