IRITTY: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested a Special Village Officer while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a landowner. The accused, Biju Augustin, a native of Kundara in Kollam district, was serving as the Special Village Officer at Payam Village.

According to Vigilance officials, Biju demanded the bribe in exchange for preparing a land sketch and plan. Acting on a complaint from the landowner, the Vigilance team, led by DySP K.P. Suresh Babu, arranged a trap. Marked currency notes were handed over to the complainant, who then delivered them to the accused officer.

The Vigilance team, in plainclothes, apprehended the officer red-handed during the transaction. The marked notes were seized, and chemical tests were conducted on the spot to confirm the exchange. Following the procedure, Biju was formally arrested.