Bribes, ₹1 cr fraud and more: Operation Vanaraksha uncovers widespread corruption in Forest dept

In a statewide effort to crack down on alleged misuse of government funds and corruption within the Forest Department, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) conducted surprise inspections under 'Operation Vanaraksha', uncovering fraudulent transactions amounting to over ₹1 crore across various offices.

As part of the inspection, the Vigilance examined files relating to projects under the Forest Department over the last five years and found out that officials had accepted around ₹1.07 crore from contractors through bank transactions. In addition, unaccounted cash of ₹11,500 was also seized, according to a statement. 

It also revealed discrepancies between the recorded and actual dimensions of completed buildings. Furthermore, several solar fencing projects inaugurated in 2025 were found to be non-functional.

The Vigilance said that timber sales at several offices were conducted without following proper auction procedures. In many offices, contract-related documents, including bills, quotations, fund utilisation records, and receipts, were found to be missing. Major discrepancies in the measurements recorded in the M-books were also reported.

The grip of corruption also extended to the compensation for victims of wildlife attacks. In several cases, payments were disbursed without valid medical documentation. In one instance, compensation was granted despite medical records indicating that the injury had resulted from a drunken two-wheeler accident rather than a wildlife encounter.

According to the Vigilance, corruption was widespread in building works, construction of ponds for wildlife, road tarring and re-tarring, solar fencing, boundary marking, and fire line works. In most cases, contractors acted as benami agents of the officials, receiving bribes and commissions through online transactions, UPI transfers and other means, resulting in substandard quality of the completed works. 

The investigation team also caught the Vallakkadavu Range Officer for accepting ₹72.8 lakh from a contractor between June and September 2025. Additionally, his WhatsApp records revealed that another ₹1.36 lakh was transferred to a firm in Edappally on the officer’s instructions. At the Thekkady Range Office, WhatsApp chats showed that the same contractor had deposited ₹31.08 lakh into various accounts linked to the Range Officer. Two other contractors had also made UPI transfers totalling ₹1.95 lakh. In Marayoor, a contractor transferred ₹57,500 to a Range Officer’s UPI account, while in Kanthalloor, ₹2,000 was sent to the accounts of two officials.

In Malappuram, Vigilance seized unaccounted cash of ₹8,500 from officials at the Edavanna Range Office, where the Range Officer was also found to have received ₹14,500 from two contractors via UPI. An additional ₹2,900 in unaccounted cash was recovered from the Karulai Range Office.

The inspection was carried out under the direction of Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham IPS, on September 27. He said that strict legal action would be taken against officials found accepting bribes or colluding with contractors to commit irregularities. "Follow-up inspections will continue in the coming days, and project files from the past five years will undergo detailed scrutiny. The probe will also include an examination of bank account statements of the officials, their family members, and the contractors involved," he said.