In Tuticorin, a village administrative officer (VAO) and his assistant were arrested by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 9,000 to process a patta transfer application.
Complaint Filed
According to DVAC officials, the complainant, Mathaselvi, approached VAO Senthilkumar (48) on May 19 seeking transfer of property from her grandfather's name to herself and her brother. Initially, Senthilkumar rejected the application citing lack of original documents. After she reapplied on June 6, the VAO demanded a bribe of Rs 11,000 to process the file. Mathaselvi paid Rs 2,000 as an initial payment, promising to pay the remaining amount later.
Trap Laid
Unwilling to pay the bribe, Mathaselvi lodged a complaint with the Tuticorin DVAC on Thursday. Sleuths provided her with chemically treated currency notes of Rs 9,000 and instructed her to hand them over to the official. When she approached Senthilkumar, he directed her to give the money to his assistant Subbaiah. As Mathaselvi handed over the money, DVAC officials caught Subbaiah red-handed.
Both Senthilkumar and Subbaiah were taken into custody by a team led by inspector Annalakshmi. Further investigation is ongoing.
