Bribes change medium as officials link 92% of Tuesday's seizure to UPI

CHENNAI: Amid the TVK-led government's high-voltage anti-corruption drive, government officials appear to be shifting to digital payments to pocket bribes, according to data from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

On Tuesday, sleuths from the agency conducted joint surprise checks at government offices across Tamil Nadu and detected unaccounted cash and suspicious digital transactions totalling Rs 1.73 crore. Officials figured suspicious transactions made through UPI amounted to Rs 1.59 crore, and seized Rs 13.78 lakh in unaccounted cash. That is, 92 per cent of suspected bribes were paid via UPI using apps like Paytm and GPay.

The trend has risen sharply. In the last week of August, DVAC found that 77 per cent of the Rs 1.18 crore in suspected bribe transactions was paid through digital platforms. In the first week of July, only 32 per cent of the Rs 84.7 lakh in suspected bribes was via UPI. The digital share thus rose from 32 per cent in early July to 92 per cent by the third week of September.

Tuesday's checks covered 36 locations in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Vellore, Chengalpattu, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, and Ramanathapuram.

The highest digital transaction amounts included Rs 43,42,563 at the Greater Chennai Corporation Office Zone 14 in Perungudi; Rs 19,66,500 at Kayalpattinam Municipality in Thoothukudi district; and Rs 19,16,280 at the Velankanni Town Panchayat Office in Nagapattinam district. Cash seizures included Rs 7,64,500 at the Arakkonam Municipality Office in Ranipet and Rs 5,53,767 at the Avinashi Municipality Office in Tirupur.

DVAC said the checks were part of its vigilance exercise across government offices.