Vigilance arrests absconding Maveli store manager

Alappuzha (Kerala), Nov 23 (PTI) The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has arrested an accused who had been absconding without serving his court-ordered sentence in a corruption case here, officials said on Sunday.

A statement by VACB said that Ponnan N, who worked as the manager of the Kerala Supplyco Maveli store at Kadakkarappally under Cherthala taluk in Alappuzha, was earlier booked for misappropriating 120 quintals of sugar, causing a loss of Rs 1.20 lakh to the government.

The Alappuzha Vigilance unit completed the investigation and filed a charge sheet before the Kottayam Vigilance Court.

After the trial, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs two lakh under various sections, VACB said.

Ponnan later filed an appeal before the Kerala High Court, which reduced the sentence to five years of rigorous imprisonment and upheld the fine amount of Rs two lakh, officials said.

The court also directed him to surrender.

However, the accused did not surrender and went into hiding.

VACB officials said that following a tip-off, their team arrested him at Cherthala on Saturday.

He was later produced before the Kottayam Vigilance Court and remanded to prison. PTI TBA TBA KH