TIRUCHY: A Town Panchayat Executive Officer and his clerk were arrested on charges of accepting a bribe of Rs 17,000 for processing a petition for vacant tax in Karur on Monday.

According to DVAC, V Kumaresh (25), a textile salesman from a textile showroom in Karur had obtained a piece of land from his family as a settlement of property. On July 27, Kumaresh went to the Old Jayankondam town panchayat and applied for the vacant land tax.

The Town Panchayat clerk, Sivakumar who received the application asked for a bribe of Rs 17,000.Kumaresh expressed inability to pay and appealed to Sivakumar to process the application. However, Sivakumar asked Kumaresh to meet the Town Panchayat EO Rajagopal and hand over the money.

Kumaresh complained with DVAC Karur who caught the EO red-handed while accepting the bribe and later arrested him along with Sivakumar.