'Project Zero' claims first casualty: Cherthala DySP arrested in ₹50k bribe case after terrace jump

ALAPPUZHA: In a major embarrassment to the state police department, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) was arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Wednesday while accepting a bribe of ₹50,000.

The accused officer, T. Anilkumar, currently serving as the Cherthala DySP, allegedly demanded the money from the owner of a local septic waste-management firm to release a seized operational vehicle and to prevent future crackdowns on the company’s fleet.

According to Vigilance officials, the arrest turned theatrical when Anilkumar spotted the raid team. He slammed his front door shut and scrambled to the terrace of his rented villa on the Cherthala-Thaikkal road, leaping off in a desperate bid to evade capture. Vigilance officials gave chase and overpowered him on the premises. Anilkumar sustained minor leg injuries during the plunge and was treated at a local hospital before being produced before the Kottayam Vigilance Court, which remanded him to judicial custody.

Notably, this marks the very first arrest under 'Project Zero'—the Home Department's newly minted anti-corruption campaign aimed at institutional cleansing. The high-profile bust comes less than 24 hours after Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala chaired a high-level Vigilance meeting vowing zero tolerance against graft, ironically unfolding within the Minister's home district.

Extortion and prior history

Investigations revealed that the complainant had already been paying a monthly protection fee of ₹15,000 to the DySP. However, Anilkumar recently escalated his demands, demanding an upfront payment of ₹1 lakh alongside an increased monthly retainer of ₹25,000. Refusing to comply, the business owner approached the VACB, who laid a trap using marked currency.

Anilkumar, who assumed his current posting in Cherthala five months ago, is no stranger to controversy. Official sources confirmed that the officer, who previously served in the Alappuzha Special Branch, has a history of facing departmental disciplinary actions.

The successful sting operation was executed by a team led by Alappuzha Vigilance DySP P.V. Benny, which included Circle Inspectors Prashanth and Shaiju Ibrahim, and civil police officers Vimal, Harris, and Ranjith.