The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) apprehended a Village Administrative Officer (VAO) in Tirupur on Monday for accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000. The bribe was demanded to facilitate the issuance of a legal heir certificate.
Complaint and Trap
The complainant, Govindarajan, a 36-year-old resident of Rayapuram in Tirupur, had applied for a legal heir certificate at the Thottipalayam VAO office. The VAO, identified as Gnanasekaran, 37, initially demanded Rs 5,000 to process the certificate. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 4,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, Govindarajan approached the district DVAC unit and filed a formal complaint. Acting on the complaint, anti-corruption police laid a trap. They provided Govindarajan with chemical-powder-coated currency notes totaling Rs 4,000 and instructed him to hand them over to the officer.
Arrest
On Monday, Govindarajan went to the Thottipalayam VAO office and delivered the tainted cash to Gnanasekaran. As soon as the officer accepted the money, the DVAC team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ravichandran and Inspector Geethalakshmi, intervened and caught him red-handed. The chemical-coated cash was seized, and Gnanasekaran was arrested. Further investigation is ongoing.
