Bribe to settle bribery case: DySP who fled through back door suspended from service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: DySP P Velayudhan Nair of Vigilance Thiruvananthapuram Special Cell Office has been suspended for allegedly taking bribe to settle a bribery case. Following the report of vigilance director Manoj Abraham, he was suspended by the additional secretary of the home department. Nair, who fled through the back of the house during a vigilance inspection, has not been found yet.

Nair accepted a bribe of Rs 50,000 to save officials in the case of taking a bribe of Rs 25,000. He fled during the vigilance raid at his house in Kazhakoottam on March 23. He was in the house when the special investigation unit 2 conducted the raid. When the raid ended at 9:30 pm, he signed the statements and then fled though the back of his house. Vigilance SP, who led the raid, reported this at the Kazhakoottam station. However, the Kazhakoottam police clarified that an investigation is not being conducted as no missing complaint was filed by his relatives. Nair's mobile phone was seized during the raid. He fled knowing that he would be arrested.

Nair, who was in vigilance in Pathanamthitta, had arrested Tiruvalla Municipal Secretary S Narayanan and office attendant Haseena Begum for accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a person who came for some urgent matter on revenue matters. Nair filed a report in the vigilance court and later closed the case stating that it was an error committed by them. Rs 50,000 was transferred from Narayanan's account at Federal Bank, Chengannur to the same bank's Kazhakoottam branch on September 30, 2021. An investigation by the vigilance intelligence wing found that the account belonged to Velayudhan Nair's son Shyamlal. During further investigation, the WhatsApp chats between Velayudhan Nair and the accused Narayanan were found and a case was registered.