In a significant anti-corruption operation, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in Tamil Nadu arrested three individuals, including a government official, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from a farmer in Namakkal district. The incident, which unfolded on Tuesday, highlights the persistent issue of corruption at the grassroots level.
The Bribe Demand and Farmer's Plight
The case revolves around farmer M Senthil (48). He accused Pudupuliyampatty Village Administrative Officer (VAO) M Gunasekaran and village assistant V Devi of demanding a bribe of Rs 40,000. The officials allegedly threatened him with a case for felling six palm trees on his own land without prior permission from the district collector—an offense in Tamil Nadu.
In his formal complaint to the DVAC, Senthil stated that he had already paid Rs 20,000 as a first instalment under pressure. "I was unable to pay the next instalment. VAO Gunasekaran forced me to pay it," the farmer recounted, leading him to seek help from the anti-corruption agency.
DVAC's Chemical Trap and Arrests
Acting on the complaint, DVAC officers set up a meticulous trap using chemical-coated currency notes. As planned, VAO Gunasekaran instructed village assistant Devi to collect the remaining bribe amount from the farmer's house near Tiruchengode.
Devi arrived at Senthil's residence and initially accepted the marked notes. However, in a twist, she returned the money to the farmer and asked him to hand it over to her husband, Vijayakumar, who was waiting at a nearby teashop. DVAC sleuths, who were monitoring the entire operation, moved in and caught Vijayakumar red-handed as he received the cash from the farmer.
Following this, Gunasekaran, Devi, and Vijayakumar were arrested and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
Related Arrest in Dharmapuri Survey Department
In a separate but related anti-corruption drive in the region, the DVAC also arrested a sub-inspector of the survey department in Dharmapuri district. The official, identified as R Soundarraj (32) from Kambainallur, was attached to the tahsildar office in Karimangalam taluk.
He was apprehended for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 13,000 from a woman. The bribe was for recommending the issuance of a 'patta' (land ownership document) for a parcel of land.
These back-to-back arrests in Namakkal and Dharmapuri underscore the continued vigilance of the DVAC against corruption involving public servants. They serve as a stern warning to officials who exploit their positions to extort money from citizens, particularly vulnerable individuals like farmers and women seeking basic government services.
