District Collector Chithra S. on Wednesday suspended Palakkayam village field assistant V. Suresh Kumar, who was arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Tuesday while accepting a bribe of ₹2,500 from a man for issuing location sketch of his land.
Vigilance officers, during a raid on his house on Tuesday, had recovered ₹35 lakh, bank bonds valued at ₹40 lakh, savings bank documents showing a deposit of ₹25 lakh, and 17 kg of coins.
The Vigilance officers said that Kumar was a chronic bribe seeker who accepted all kinds of ‘gifts’, including honey and shirts. The Vigilance seized 10 litres of honey, 10 unsealed shirts and dhotis, and bundles of pens from his room.
A bachelor, Kumar told the Vigilance that he hoarded the money to build a good house. He was found to have led a simple life in a room that cost him a rent of only ₹2,500 a month. However, Vigilance officers said that they had got several complaints of bribery against Kumar.
He was produced before the Vigilance Court in Thrissur, and was remanded in judicial custody until June 6.
