Statewide surprise raids by Vigilance to uncover corruption

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted surprise inspections across various offices in the state to detect corruption. The raid at the Kottarakkara Sub-Registrar Office in Kollam, which began at 4 PM on Thursday, continued late into the night. A local complainant had applied online for property registration, but the sub-registrar allegedly delayed and obstructed the process, leading to the investigation.

A raid was also carried out at the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Kozhikode following reports of bribery involving some employees. The inspection, which started at 11 AM on Thursday, concluded at 2:45 PM.

Another inspection took place at the SIDCO Training Centre in Olavanna, Kozhikode, based on reports that a former design engineer had engaged in financial irregularities, causing economic losses to the institution.

In Thrissur’s Kadukutty Village Office, vigilance officials acted on information that both a former and a current Village Field Assistant were allegedly accepting bribes for land inspections. Additionally, officials discovered that unauthorized signatures were being used on property sketches without the knowledge of the Village Officer.

A surprise inspection was also conducted at Puzhakkattiri Grama Panchayat in Malappuram. It was found that an applicant for building regularization was charged a lower fee through the front office, while the full amount was collected separately. A senior clerk allegedly misappropriated funds by issuing a fake receipt.

Vigilance Director Yogesh Gupta urged the public to report corruption-related information via the toll-free number 1064 or WhatsApp at 8592900900 and 9447789100.