Kovai Asst Town Planning Officer held for bribery

According to the police, the complainant, Somasundaram (53) from Tatabad, had approached M Saravanan, the Assistant Town Planning Officer in the Corporation South Zone office seeking approval to develop residential plots in his 4.7-acre land in Telungupalayam. The official, however, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 6 lakh to issue the approval. After bargaining, Saravanan agreed to settle for a sum of Rs 5 lakh in two instalments. He demanded Rs 2.5 lakh to be paid in advance and the remaining amount after issuing the approval.

Not willing to cough up the bribe, Somasundaram tipped DVAC officials, who set a trap to nab the Corporation official. As planned, the realtor handed over chemical-laced currency notes to Saravanan at his office on Wednesday night. He, however, refused to receive the amount and insisted Somasundaram to hand it over to his office assistant Anand Kumar. The DVAC sleuths, who waited in hiding, then sprang into action and nabbed Anand. As he confessed to have collected the money on Saravanan’s instructions, the latter was also nabbed who later confessed to the crime.

Following this, DVAC officials conducted a search at Saravanan’s office and residence and seized a few incriminating documents. Both the accused were remanded in judicial custody for 15 days.

The duo’s arrest comes after the Coimbatore Corporation Assistant Commissioner Ravi Kumar and a middleman were trapped by DVAC for allegedly taking bribe on May 27.