Aryankavu: Bribe comes in many forms as favours are sought and are euphemistically called gifts or tips. These days the Regional Transport Office (RTO) checkpost at Aryankavu, near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu inter-state border, are flooded with Pongal festival gifts. A raid carried out by the Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau (VACBNB) here on Wednesday recovered cash too along with edible gifts.
Pineapple, gooseberries, sweets made of jaggery and groundnuts, guava and 'ada' given as gifts to RTO personnel by the staff of traders and businessmen accompanying vehicles from the Tamil Nadu side have been recovered.
It was found that while producing the Goods Vehicle Report (GVR) at the checkpost, the staff accompanying the vehicle place money on the office table according to their wish. In one instance, Rs 6,200 inadvertently reached the hands of the Vigilance officials. The person who brought the money along with GVR placed it in the hands of Vigilance officials mistaking them for checkpost staff.
The Vigilance team had reached the Aryankavu checkpost as part of the state-wide raids carried out by it since 6 am on Wednesday.
The checking was conducted by a Vigilance team led by A Abdul Wahab, the Vigilance Deputy Superintendent of Police at Kollam. The team found a difference of Rs 750 in the amount charged for providing the permit for vehicles.
The Vigilance officials also saw that vehicles coming with excess load were let off without any action.
Inspectors V P Sudheesh T Biju, Joshy; and Sub-Inspectors Haiharan, Sunil, Philipose and Sajeev also participated in the raids at the checkpost.