DVAC officials conducted a surprise inspection at the Kerugambakkam village panchayat office in Kancheepuram district and seized cash totalling Rs 14.57 lakh, officials said. A case has been registered against the panchayat president, Jagadeeswari (42), and three employees of a private company who were present in her office.
According to the FIR, DVAC received information that the panchayat president and some panchayat members were allegedly demanding bribes from construction firms to facilitate approvals for land layout divisions. Based on the tip-off, the team raided the president’s room on August 11.
During the search, officials found Rs 14 lakh in bundles kept inside a blue handbag on the table, packed in three green covers. One of the men seated opposite the president—identified as Rajeshwaran, an employee of VGN—also produced Rs 25,000 from his trouser pocket. DVAC said the explanations offered about the source and purpose of the money were inconsistent, leading to suspicion that it was meant as a bribe.
DVAC further stated that an additional Rs 32,200 found in the president’s bag brought the total seizure to Rs 14.57 lakh. Inquiries indicated that the three VGN employees—Rajeshwaran, Kameshkumar and Jayachandran—had come to obtain an approval-related resolution copy connected to a land extent of 4,24,894 sq ft, and that a bribe demand of Rs 20 lakh had allegedly been made for securing layout approvals.
As part of the probe, DVAC also searched the houses of Jagadeeswari, panchayat vice-president Laila and ward member Santhosh in Kerugambakkam from 10 am to 3 pm on Wednesday and seized certain documents. Officials said they are also examining whether any government officials had a role in the alleged bribery network.
