Panchayat clerk held on charge of accepting bribe

Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officers on Thursday afternoon arrested a clerk at the Pudussery grama panchayat office for allegedly accepting a bribe to issue a residence certificate.

Sreejit Gopinath, 39, was caught red-handed while accepting ₹2,500 from a complainant from Kanjikode.

The complainant had applied for a residence certificate for his tenant, a native of Thiruvananthapuram who lives in a house owned by him. The certificate was needed to obtain a loan, and the application had been submitted through an Akshaya centre.

When the complainant visited the panchayat office to check on the application, Mr. Gopinath said a house inspection was required. After visiting the house, he said there were complications as the property was registered in the name of the complainant’s father and asked him to produce the father’s death certificate.

When the complainant produced the documents, Mr. Gopinath allegedly demanded ₹2,500 to issue the certificate and insisted the amount be paid in cash.

The complainant approached the VACB, which laid a trap. Mr. Gopinath was arrested while accepting the money.

He will be produced before the Vigilance court in Thrissur.

The Vigilance department urged the public to report corruption through its toll-free number 1064, or 85929 00900, or WhatsApp 94477 89100.