TIRUCHY: A Village Administrative Officer (VAO) from Peravurani in Thanjavur was held for accepting a bribe of Rs 2,500 for a name change in a patta on Wednesday.
Mohammed Kasali (50) from Periyanayagipuram near Peravurani in Thanjavur wanted to change the name in a land patta and applied for the same at the Peraiyanayagipuram VAO office on September 19.
As the process was delayed, Mohammed Kasali approached the VAO N Kannan (54), but the VAO had demanded a bribe of Rs 2,500 to process his application.
Unwilling to part with money, Mohammed Kasali lodged a complaint with the DVAC, Thanjavur. DSP Anbarasan registered a case and on Wednesday, the DVAC team, headed by the DSP, rushed to the VAO office and caught Kannan red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 2,500 and arrested him.
The team also seized an unaccounted cash of Rs 25,000 from the office. Later, Kannan was produced before the Thanjavur court and was lodged in prison.