Chartered Accountant held on graft charge in Kerala

Kochi: A chartered accountant associated with a nationalised bank has been arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for accepting a bribe, VACB officials said on Sunday.

A Sudhakaran, serving as a Concurrent Auditor at the Canara bank’s Mavelikara branch, was caught red-handed on Saturday while accepting Rs 50,000 from a complainant at his residence in Chinnakada, Kollam.

According to VACB officials, Sudhakaran had demanded a total of Rs 6 lakh from the complainant, a Kochi-based businessman running an educational consultancy firm across Kerala.

The complainant, who has loan accounts with the bank, was allegedly told by Sudhakaran that certain documents he had submitted were "inappropriate" and could lead to complications, including the classification of his accounts as non-performing assets (NPA).

Sudhakaran allegedly demanded the bribe in exchange for not submitting an adverse audit report.

Initially, he demanded an advance of Rs 10,000, which the complainant paid via Google Pay.

When Sudhakaran insisted on receiving the remaining amount in person, the complainant approached the VACB.

A trap was laid, and Sudhakaran was arrested while accepting Rs 50,000 at his home, VACB officers said.

VACB officers added that Sudhakaran is a listed concurrent auditor with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and receives remuneration from Canara Bank.

VACB SP Sasidharan S told reporters that preliminary findings suggest that this may not be the first instance of bribery involving the accused. A detailed investigation is currently underway, he added.