Thiruvilwamala: The Vigilance has arrested a village officer for taking a bribe of Rs 1,500 from a daily-wage labourer at Kaniyarkode near Thiruvilwamala in Thrissur district.
Vipin Kumar, a 45-year-old Thiruvananthapuram native, was arrested for taking bribe from the labourer named Subramanyan. The Vigilance had given phenolphthalein-laced currency notes to the complainant to catch the officer in the act.
The village officer asked Subramanyan to keep the money on the table and leave. As soon as the complainant exited, the Vigilance sleuths entered the office and conducted checks. Though traces of phenolphthalein were found on the officer’s hands, the money could not be located. After an hour-long search, the money was found hidden among paper glasses in the store room.
Apart from the three Rs 500 notes given by the Vigilance, another Rs 500 was also found from there.
During an inspection carried out at the village officer's house and car, the Vigilance also found weapons. When questioned about these, the accused officer said he had them for his Karate training.
Target was another employee
The Vigilance had gone to the Kaniyarkode village office to probe the complaint against another staff. Subramanyan had filed a complaint against an employee of the village office who had verbally abused him and sought a bribe of Rs 1,500.
Subramanyan had approached this government servant for getting ownership certificate and approved sketch of his new house.
It was to catch this employee, the Vigilance had given chemical-laced currency notes to Subramanyan. However, when Subramanyan went to the office on Thursday, the employee asked him to give the money to the village officer.
Earlier too, complaints were raised against the village officer and inquiries were conducted. The Vigilance team said that money was found stashed away at the store room last month also. Then it was not known whom the money belonged to.
