PALAKKAD: After the arrest of field assistant Suresh Kumar in a bribery case, a mass transfer has been ordered in the Palakkayam village office. The action is based on the report submitted by the revenue department in the bribery case.

The village Officer has been transferred to Kannur, Village Assistant to Attapadi Taluk and Field Assistant to Palakkad Taluk. The report was submitted after the completion of a departmental inquiry led by K Biju, Joint Secretary, Revenue Department. According to the report, the officers were either aware of Suresh Kumar's history of accepting bribes or at the very least approved of it without objecting.

Vigilance arrested Suresh Kumar on May 28 last in the bribery case. Apart from Rs 35 lakh, fixed deposit certificates worth Rs 45 lakh and 17 kg of coins were seized from his room. Vigilance informed that the money was not withdrawn from the salary account. Currently, the balance in the salary account is Rs 25 lakhs.

Apart from money, ten shirts in unopened envelopes, dhotis, sacked Malabar tamarind, ten litres of honey, crackers and pens were also recovered from his room. He lived on a monthly rent of Rs 2500. Neighbours said that he leaves the room without locking it so that no one suspects him.

This is the first time Vigilance has received a complaint against him. He had also taken bribes in the village offices where he had worked earlier, but no one had filed a complaint. The proceedings in the case are in progress.