Kasaragod: Vigilance officials on Thursday arrested a casual sweeper attached to the Uppala Village Office while allegedly accepting a ₹5,000 bribe from a temple committee representative for processing a land tax transfer application.

The accused, Shivaram K (42) of Kodibail in Kasaragod town, was caught red-handed as part of the Vigilance Department's anti-corruption initiative, ‘Project Zero’.

According to Vigilance, the complainant, a resident of Mangalpady and vice-president of a temple committee, had applied about a month ago to transfer the land tax records of a plot that had been donated to the temple by a devotee in 2011. The application was submitted at the Uppala Village Office.

Officials allegedly informed him that the tax receipt remained in the previous owner's name and that additional procedures were required before the property could be transferred to the temple committee's name.

As the complainant was leaving the office, Shivaram allegedly approached him and claimed he could get the matter settled quickly through the Special Village Officer, but that it would involve "expenses".

A week ago, Shivaram and the Special Village Officer reportedly inspected the property. After the visit, Shivaram allegedly demanded and accepted ₹1,500 from the complainant and told him that a further ₹5,000 would have to be paid to complete the process.

On June 16, the complainant again visited the village office with the required documents and met both Shivaram and the Special Village Officer. Vigilance said Shivaram later contacted him repeatedly over the phone, demanding the remaining ₹5,000.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kasaragod. Acting on the complaint, Vigilance officers laid a trap and kept the suspect under surveillance.

Around 10.30 am on Thursday, Shivaram was allegedly caught while accepting ₹5,000 from the complainant in front of the Uppala Group Village Office.

He was arrested and would be produced before the Vigilance Court in Thalassery, said the VACB.

In a statement, Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham urged the public to report corruption-related information through the Vigilance toll-free number 1064, phone number 85929 00900, or WhatsApp number 94477 89100.