Joint RTO suspended for accepting bribe of Rs 11.75 lakh

THRISSUR: A Joint RTO has been suspended in a case of accepting a bribe of Rs 11,75,000 to register modified vans, which were used to fill cash at ATMs. Thiruvalla Joint RTO B Sriprakash has been suspended by Transport Secretary Biju Prabhakar on the recommendation of Vigilance. While working at the Thrissur RT office, Sriprakash was accused of taking Rs 25,000 per van as a bribe for illegally increasing the length and width of 47 pickup vans and converting them into cash vans. The deal was in 2019, despite a strict ban on modifying vehicles.

During a raid by the Vigilance at RT office on the basis of information that a bribe of over Rs 11 lakh had been transacted, documents showing that RC books had been issued to 47 vehicles were found. The Kerala Taurus Tipper Association had lodged a complaint with the government alleging that the failure to register a case two years after the irregularities were discovered was an attempt at subversion. Subsequent investigations revealed that the cash vans were registered and exempted from tax payable to the government. Sreeprakash was then transferred from Thrissur to Thiruvalla.