A Deputy Tahsildar, Manikandan (44), at the Melur Taluk Office and a private person, O. Mookkan (48) were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe of ₹20,000 for issuing an insolvency certificate, at Melur Taluk office on Wednesday.
According to Vigilance and Anti-Corruption sources, S. Prabhu (39) of Karuthapulyampatti, had made an online application seeking a solvency certificate for his wife, Malathi.
The application was pending before Manikandan, who is the Headquarters Deputy Tahsildar at the Melur Taluk Office.
When Prabhu met Manikandan, the latter had demanded ₹20,000 bribe money to process the application.
Based on a complaint from Prabhu, a team of DVAC sleuths, led by its Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sathyaseelan, laid a trap for Manikandan.
When Prabhu met Manikandan, he took him to Mookan and asked Mookkan to take the money from Prabhu on his behalf and hand it over to him when he would leave for home.
When Mookkan took the money, the DVAC sleuths rounded them up and arrested them.