Kollam (Keralam), Sep 24 The Vigilance on Thursday arrested a Village Officer red-handed while he was allegedly accepting a Rs 5,000 bribe for mutating land in Puthur here, officials said.
The accused was identified as Abhilash Anand (47), Puthur Village Officer and a native of Kadakkod in Kollam.
According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), the complainant, a resident of Puthur, had submitted an application at the Puthur Village Office in May to mutate 52 cents of land registered in his parents’ names to him and his siblings as per a will.
Following the application, village officials inspected the property and the complainant submitted the necessary documents for the mutation.
However, Anand, who was recently appointed as the Puthur Village Officer, allegedly contacted the complainant by phone on Wednesday and said the property needed to be inspected, officials said.
The complainant then accompanied him in a car and showed him the property.
While returning, the officer allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 as a bribe, saying the mutation could be processed only after the payment was made immediately, VACB said.
When the complainant offered to transfer the money, the officer allegedly refused and asked him to come to the village office after 10 am on Thursday, contact him over the phone and hand over the money, officials said.
The complainant, who was unwilling to pay the bribe, subsequently informed the Deputy Superintendent of Police of the Kollam VACB Unit.
A trap was laid and surveillance was maintained by the Vigilance team.
At around 10.15 am on Thursday, Anand was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting Rs 5,000 from the complainant near Puthur Mandapam Junction, officials said.
The accused was produced before the Kollam Vigilance Court and remanded in judicial custody.
(PTI News)
