A Village Administrative Officer (VAO) in Tiruppur was arrested by the district Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) police for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 to issue an heirship certificate.
The complainant, Krishnamoorthy (34) of State Bank Colony, Rayapuram, who works as an accountant at a hotel, had applied online on June 6 for an heirship certificate. The VAO of Thottipalayam, Gnanasekaran (37) from Avinashi, contacted him and asked him to come in person with documents for verification.
During the verification, the official reportedly told the applicant that the death certificate of his mother was more than four years old and that the related certificate could not be issued immediately, warning of possible delays. He allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 and later asked for Rs 4,000 to proceed.
Unwilling to pay, Krishnamoorthy lodged a complaint with the Tiruppur DVAC police. Acting on their instructions, he went to the VAO office with Rs 4,000, where the official was caught while receiving the money. A team led by DVAC DSP Ravichandran arrested Gnanasekaran.
