TIRUNELVELI: Footage from a CCTV camera, purportedly showing an unidentified man entering with envelope-like items and exiting the office of the deputy director (DD) of Tirunelveli Zonal Fire and Rescue Services at 12.10 am on Tuesday (November 18), has introduced a degree of uncertainty into the ongoing bribery investigation against the officer. Sleuths from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) conducted a surprise inspection at the office of the Deputy Director Saravana Babu in the city on Tuesday, and seized Rs 2.51 lakh unaccounted-for cash, kept in six envelopes concealed between files in the office cupboard.
The footage, obtained recently from a CCTV camera at a house opposite the DD office, purportedly showed the man arriving at the office on a two-wheeler at 12.10 am on Tuesday. He was seen picking up a bag from the vehicle, accidentally dropping a few envelope-like items on the ground, collecting them, and then walking inside the office with the bag. Ten minutes later, he exited the building empty-handed.
Sources said, after the DVAC seized the cash, several staff members alleged that the money must have been planted as a trap against the officer. Based on the video, Saravana Babu filed a complaint with Tirunelveli City Police Commissioner Santosh Hadimani on Tuesday night, seeking action against those who had allegedly attempted to implicate him. The commissioner of police said that a case has been registered against the unidentified man based on Babu's complaint, and an inquiry has been initiated.
When contacted by TNIE, Seema Agarwal, DGP, Fire and Rescue Services, said that departmental action would be taken against the wrongdoers based on the outcome of the DVAC inquiry. "The DVAC will probe all angles. If someone has trapped Saravana Babu, DVAC will find out that as well," she said.