KOCHI: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) on Wednesday arrested a building inspector of the Kochi Corporation while accepting a bribe at Poonurunni. The arrested officer, Swapna, was posted at the Corporation’s Vyttila zonal office.
According to VACB SP S Sasidharan, the complainant had submitted an application for constructing a building in January. However, Swapna allegedly put the application on hold without providing any valid reason. “When the applicant approached her, she demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 to process the file. The complainant then approached us with the information,” Sasidharan said.
Following instructions from the VACB, the complainant agreed to meet the officer at Poonurunni to hand over the bribe, using currency notes treated with chemical markers. Swapna was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe, and officials immediately initiated the arrest procedure.
She was later produced before the Vigilance Court in Muvattupuzha and remanded in judicial custody. Swapna is the eighth official from the Kochi Corporation to be caught in a bribery case by the VACB.