Bribe case: Two Kochi Corporation officials caught in a vigilance trap

Kochi, Oct 16 (PTI) The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) caught two officials of the Kochi Corporation allegedly while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 for processing a building ownership transfer application here on Thursday, officials said.

The arrested officials are Lalachan, superintendent at the Kochi Corporation’s Edappally Zonal Office and a native of Thumboly in Alappuzha, and Manikandan, revenue inspector and a native of Valiyathura, Thiruvananthapuram.

According to officials, the bribe was demanded for transferring the ownership of a building that is situated in an area that falls under the jurisdiction of the Edappally Zonal Office to a person represented by a lawyer from Ernakulam.

The lawyer, on behalf of his client, had submitted an online application for the ownership transfer in May 2025, a VACB official said.

Despite several visits to the Edappally Zonal Office to follow up on the matter, no action was taken, and the application was delayed, citing various reasons.

According to VACB, on Monday, when the complainant met superintendent Lalachan and revenue inspector Manikandan in person, they allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively as a bribe to process the file, and asked him to hand over the money directly at the office in the afternoon.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the lawyer approached the VACB Ernakulam unit.

Acting on his complaint, a Vigilance team led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police laid a trap and caught both officials red-handed at around 12 noon on Thursday while they were accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 inside the superintendent’s room at the Edappally Zonal Office, VACB statement said.

The arrested officials were later shifted to the VACB office, and they will soon be produced before the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha as part of the remand procedure, VACB officials added. PTI TBA TBA ADB