Coimbatore: 3 foresters held for taking bribe from farmer

CHENNAI: Sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Tuesday arrested three staff members of the forest department for demanding and receiving bribes from a farmer to allow his manure load to be taken to Kerala.

According to sources, Krishnamurthy (48), a farmer from Attapadi in Kerala, is residing with his family in Madukkarai near Coimbatore. He used to collect cow dung and organic manure from Coimbatore and take them to Kerala in his load carrier vehicle to be used in his farm in Attapadi.

While passing through two check posts, one at Mangarai check post on the Coimbatore-Anaikatti Road and another in Anaikatti check post on the interstate Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, the forest department staff on guard insisted on a bribe of Rs 1,000 to allow his vehicle to pass through.

Unable to give the bribe amount at each check post, while going every week, the farmer tipped the DVAC sleuths. A DVAC team laid a trap by giving chemical-laced currency notes to the farmer and monitored in disguise at the two check posts.

At Mangarai check post, the forest guard Selvakumar demanded and received Rs 1,000 from the farmer, while forest guard Sathish Kumar received the bribe amount at Anaikatti check post.

Acting swiftly, the DVAC sleuths nabbed them both and as well as forest guard Subramani, who was posted in Anaikatti check post in connection with the offence.

In another incident, forest guard Ram Kumar in Yercaud Hills in Salem district has been placed under suspension by DFO Kashyap Shashank Ravi for receiving a bribe from a lorry driver laden with wooden logs without a permit. The action comes after a video of the forest staff receiving bribes was circulated on social media.