Kochi, February 25 Kerala Vigilance officials have arrested a panchayat official after allegedly catching him accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh for issuing a completion certificate for a warehouse, which officials described as the biggest seizure in the department's history.
The accused, Deepesh Kumar, an official with the Vadavucode–Puthencruz grama panchayat in Ernakulam district, was apprehended near the Kakkanad Collectorate around 9:15 pm, officials said.
According to Vigilance officials, the complainant, who runs a transport business in Ernakulam, had built a new warehouse within the panchayat limits and applied online on January 21 for a completion certificate.
When the official visited the site for inspection, he allegedly demanded Rs 20 lakh to clear the file.
After the businessman told him he could not afford such a large amount, the demand was later reduced to Rs 15 lakh following phone conversations, officials said.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in Ernakulam. Acting on his complaint, a vigilance team set a trap.
On Tuesday night, the official allegedly accepted Rs 5 lakh in cash and a cheque for Rs 10 lakh at a pre-arranged spot near the Collectorate, when officers moved in and arrested him.
After recording his arrest, Kumar was produced before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court, which remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. He was lodged in the Muvattupuzha Sub Jail.
Vigilance officials said subsequently, during a search conducted at the newly constructed house of Kumar at Kakkanad, the Vigilance team seized Rs 5.5 lakh in unaccounted cash.
Vigilance officials also recovered documents related to financial transactions during searches carried out at a flat in Bengaluru, where Kumar's wife and others reside, as well as at his family house in Haripuram, Kasaragod.