THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau officials have detected widespread irregularities and corrupt practices during ongoing statewide raids at the regional transport offices (RTO)under the motor vehicles department (MVD).
During the raid that began on Saturday morning, the Vigilance seized cash to the tune of Rs 1.4 lakh from 11 agents, who had brought it for distribution among corrupt officials in various offices. As many as 21 officials were also found to have received Rs 7.85 lakh through payment apps from agents as kickbacks.
An amount of Rs 49,000 was found discarded on the premises of Nilambur Sub RTO, while an undisclosed amount was found concealed in the window of Vaikom Sub RTO.
In Thiruvananthapuram RTO, an officer was found to have received Rs 16,000 from agents, while two officers of Varkala Sub RTO were found to have received Rs 82,000 from agents. An agent was caught with Rs 4,000 when he arrived at the Tiruvalla Sub RTO. The same person was also found to have sent Rs 2,500 to an officer via a payment app.
At the same time, another agent was caught from Cherthala Sub RTO when he arrived at the office with Rs 10,000 in cash. At the Pala Sub RTO, two agents were caught while they were inside the office, which is a violation of rules. In Vandiperiyar Sub RTO, an agent was caught carrying Rs 16,000, while another agent was caught from Udumbanchola for possessing Rs 66,000.
An Ernakulam RTO officer was found to have received Rs 71,500 from an agent, while an agent was nabbed from Guruvayoor Sub RTO for possessing Rs 2,240. In Nilambur Sub RTO, two officers were found to have received Rs 42,000 from agents, while a Tirurangadi Sub RTO official was found to have received Rs 40,000 from an agent.
At Koduvally Sub RTO, cash transaction to the tune of Rs 2.15 lakh was found to have taken place between the officials and the agents, while at Vellarikundu Sub RTO, two officers were found to have received Rs 2.6 lakh from the agents. Corruption was also detected in