In a decisive action against corruption, the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) recently apprehended two officials from the Kochi Corporation for allegedly taking bribes. The individuals, identified as Lalichan V.M., a superintendent from Alappuzha, and Manikandan A., a revenue inspector from Thiruvananthapuram, were taken into custody at the Corporation’s Edappally zonal office.
Reports indicate that the pair was caught red-handed accepting illicit payments—₹5,000 and ₹2,000—from a resident of Kaloor. The complainant had approached the Corporation to facilitate a change in building ownership, a routine administrative process.
According to C.M. Varghese, Deputy Superintendent of Police, VACB, Ernakulam unit, the complainant’s application, originally submitted in May, had been stalled for various unexplained reasons. It was only after the officials allegedly demanded bribes to expedite the process that the citizen lodged a complaint with the VACB, leading to the meticulously planned trap that resulted in their arrests.
This latest incident underscores a troubling pattern of alleged bribery within the Corporation. Just last month, a revenue clerk at the Palluruthy zonal office was arrested for reportedly accepting a bribe of ₹25,000, highlighting systemic issues.
Further demonstrating the VACB’s ongoing efforts, a building inspector from the Vyttila zonal office was arrested in April for a ₹15,000 bribe. Additionally, in December 2024, three other Corporation employees—a health inspector, a junior health inspector, and a temporary staff member—were also caught in separate bribery charges, signaling a sustained campaign against corruption.