KASARGOD: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has busted an organised bribery racket run allegedly by officers of the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) at border Thalappady check-post.
"The MVD officers had deployed mules on daily wages to move out bribe money received from truckers at regular intervals at Thalappady on the border of Kasaragod and Dakshina Kannda border," said VACB deputy superintendent of police (DySP) K V Venugopal.
The MVD officers earn up to Rs 5 lakh in bribes every day, said the officer, whose team was observing the Thalappady check-post for three days.
The VACB conducted simultaneous raids at the MVD's check-posts at Thalappady and Perla in Enmakaje panchayat around 6 am on Friday. The VACB team at Perla was led by inspector Sibi Mathew.
Only one commercial vehicle passed through the check-post at Perla. "Though the truck was overloaded and the MVD officers posted there let it pass," said Venugopal. But the VACB officials intervened and the truck was slapped a fine of Rs 23,000.
The VACB officers, which raided the Thalappady check-post, detained a money mule, and seized Rs 16,900 of unaccounted money from three officers posted there, said Venugopal. "The young gazetted officer who accompanied us was stunned by the brazen bribery at the check-post," he said.
Drivers of every commercial vehicle entering Kerala dropped Rs 200 in the collection box of the MVD officers without even asking. "When we confronted such drivers, they said it was the system there. If they don't pay, MVD vehicles will chase them down and slap exorbitant fines," the DySP said, quoting the truck drivers.
Drivers of vehicles that could run into trouble with the law paid bribes between Rs 300 and Rs 1,000. During the three-day observation of the post, rarely did the MVD officers check any passing vehicle, he said.
The MVD deploys nine officers at the check-post in a day. They work in three shifts. Each shift has a motor vehicle officer, an assistant motor vehicle officer, and an office assistant on duty at the check-post. "Irrespective of the officers on duty, we have seen bribes being given and taken in every shift," the DySP said.
After the passing of every 10 vehicles, a mule is called in to pick up the bribe money from the check-post. "So at any given point of time, there won't be a huge stash of unaccounted money at the check-post," he said.
At 5.40 am on Friday, the motor vehicle officer on duty called in a mule to pick the money, the officer said. "We have the call records," he said.
After 20 minutes, the VACB raided the check-post and found Rs 16,900 of unaccounted money. "We were stunned," he said.
Every day, around 800 to 1,000 tanker truckers passed through the check-post. On top of it, there are commercial trucks.
The Vigilance officer said the state government used to get only around Rs 1 lakh from the check-post every day. "But the MVD officers must be pocketing anywhere between Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh every day," Venugopal said.
After the VACB officers caught one mule, he spilled the names of four others who were allegedly deployed allegedly by MVD officers to pick bribe money. They are from Cheruvathur and Kanhangad, 70km and 60 km down south of the district.
Despite three days of observations and findings, the VACB did not make any arrests. "We will be submitting a report to the director seeking departmental action against the officers," said the DySP.
The MVD was 'warned' about the impending raid at the check-post but they could not stop taking bribes. "It is the system there," he said.
In September 2019, VACB seized Rs 42,000 from driving school agents at the driving testing ground in Kanhangad. Agents are not supposed to be on the ground in the first place.
In January 2021, VACB raided the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Kasaragod and seized Rs 1.98 lakh from an agent representing the various driving schools. The Vigilance officers found a chit on him with the names of driving schools and the money they gave him. The agent could not explain why he had collected the money or had come to the RTO with the money.
In both instances, the VACB said it would send reports to its director for further action.