₹25000 bribe; Thiruvalla municipal secretary and assistant arrested

THIRUVALLA: Thiruvalla Municipal Secretary and Office Assistant were caught by vigilance while accepting a bribe of Rs 25000 to renew the fitness certificate of a solid waste management unit. Secretary Ambalappuzha Sadanandapuram Stalin (51) and office assistant Mannadi Palavila Hasina Begum (42) were arrested. The bribe was taken from Christopher, a municipal solid waste contractor. After the arrest, vigilance inspections were also conducted at their houses

The secretary asked Christopher for two lakh rupees to renew the fitness certificate. 25,000 of which was urgently required yesterday. With this, Christopher approached Vigilance. The vigilance handed over 50 notes of 500 rupees smeared with phenolphthalein to Christopher. At 4 pm yesterday, he went to the secretary's office and handed over the money. After placing the money on the table, the secretary called Hasina and handed it over. Haseena was caught by the vigilance when she came out with the envelope full of money. Hasina testified to Vigilance that she was given the money to be deposited in the secretary's personal account.

Christopher had taken Pathanamthitta Soil Conservation Officer Koshikunju and Tiruvalla Major Irrigation Assistant Engineer Sunil as witnesses. The secretary was not suspicious because they behaved like normal people. The arrest was led by Pathanamthitta Vigilance DySP Hari Vidyadharan. Both will be produced in Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court today.