The anti-corruption agency in Kerala seized tamarind, honey, Rs 35 lakh in cash, and bank savings and investment documents totalling Rs 65 lakh from the lodge room of a local field assistant in the Palakkad district on Tuesday.
Suresh Kumar, a village field assistant of Palakkayam in the suburbs of Palakkad district was allegedly collecting bribes at work. He demanded bribes of Rs 50 to Rs 10,000, depending upon the service people sought. Those who could not pay cash offered him agricultural produce like tamarind and honey.
It was an open secret that no service could be availed from the village office without bribing Kumar. The official is now suspended after the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau caught him red-handed and exposed his illegal wealth.
Based on a complaint that Kumar demanded Rs 2,500 for issuing a location map of a piece of land, the vigilance caught him. He was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe from the complainant. He opted for the venue of an Adalat organised by the state government as part of its anniversary celebrations for accepting the bribe.
A subsequent raid at his lodge room at Mannarcaud in the district shocked the officials. The valuables, including Rs 35 lakh in cash, were kept in the lodge room which Kumar often did not even lock properly.
Kumar, who is single, hails from Thiruvananthapuram. He reportedly told the vigilance officials that he planned to build a house and help his sister with the bribe money.
(Published 25 May 2023, 02:17 IST)
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