TENKASI: The Tenkasi district unit DVAC sleuths on Wednesday arrested Sivagiri Forest Range Officer P Kathiravan (51) for allegedly accepting a Rs 1 lakh bribe from a government contractor. The ranger had sought 30% of the bill amount, totalling Rs 18.45 lakh, as a bribe.
According to sources, Paul Suthar and S Sureshkumar (45) of Chennai had secured a tender on February 7, 2026, to construct an 8-km elephant-proof trench along the forest areas near Chinnamalai in Puliyangudi and Sivagiri regions.
“The work was aimed at preventing elephants from entering the villages and damaging the agricultural fields. Kathiravan initially allegedly demanded 30% of the bill amount as a bribe from Sureshkumar.
On Tuesday, when the contractor met him and requested permission to continue the work, the ranger allegedly demanded at least 20% of the amount and threatened to stop the work and prevent him from processing further bills if the bribe was not paid,” said the DVAC sources.
Kathiravan allegedly told Sureshkumar to pay Rs 3.69 lakh as commission for the Rs 18.45 lakh bill and demanded Rs 1 lakh as the first instalment. “After Sureshkumar approached the DVAC, a case was registered against Kathiravan on Tuesday.
Following a trap laid by the officials, Sureshkumar handed over the chemical-laced Rs 1 lakh to Kathiravan at his house in Sivagiri, and they arrested him,” added the sources.