Kollam: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Sunday arrested a chartered accountant associated with a nationalised bank for allegedly accepting a bribe, reported PTI.

The accused, A Sudhakaran, was working as a Concurrent Auditor at the Mavelikara branch of Canara Bank. He was nabbed on Saturday from his residence in Chinnakada, Kollam, while taking Rs 50,000 from a complainant in a trap set by VACB.

Officials said Sudhakaran had allegedly sought a bribe of Rs 6 lakh from a Kochi-based businessman who operates an educational consultancy with branches across Kerala. The businessman has several loan accounts with the bank.

Sudhakaran reportedly told the complainant that some of his submitted documents were "inappropriate" and warned him about the risk of his accounts being marked as non-performing assets (NPA). He is accused of demanding money to avoid submitting a negative audit report.

The complainant initially transferred Rs 10,000 through Google Pay as per Sudhakaran’s request. When the auditor insisted on receiving the remaining amount in person, the businessman alerted the VACB.

Following this, a trap was organised, leading to Sudhakaran’s arrest while receiving Rs 50,000 in cash at his house. VACB officials said Sudhakaran is empanelled as a concurrent auditor by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and receives payment for his services from Canara Bank.

VACB SP Sasidharan S told the media that initial evidence pointed to the possibility of similar incidents in the past. “A detailed investigation is currently underway,” he added.