Arrest of trio by Kerala’s Vigilance in alleged ₹10-lakh bribery case exposes official-middlemen nexus
VACB sources say role of more revenue officials in the case is being probed
On Thursday, the Ernakulam unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in Kerala arrested Kanayannur tahsildar Jose Antony Hartis, 52, and two alleged middlemen, Rajesh N.S., 49, and Jose Shibyin, 44, in an alleged ₹10 lakh bribery case. The trio is accused of threatening a native of Kaloor, who owns a 1.4-acre property, with legal action for allegedly violating land regulations.
The alleged network allegedly detected violations in property records, filed complaints against property owners, and demanded bribes to settle them. Hartis and the two agents allegedly demanded ₹10 lakh, including ₹5 lakh for revenue officials, to resolve the complaint. The Kaloor resident refused to pay the bribe and turned to the VACB, which laid a trap to apprehend the accused.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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