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Phone call logs expose smuggler’s nexus with Revenue officials, cops
Cracking down on officials who are in cahoots with sand smugglers, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) booked five Revenue Department officials and 13 police personnel as suspects for the alleged links with a gravel sand smuggler who has been operating in Vellore and Ranipet districts.
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Chennai
These officials were in regular contact with the smuggler and did not take any action against him despite knowing that he was into illegal activities, noted the FIR that the DVAC registered last week.
The accused Revenue officials are P Murugesan, formerly Revenue Divisional Officer, Ranipet, now working as general manager, Aavin, Erode; R Kanniyappan, former Revenue Inspector, now Superintendent, Adi Dravidar Welfare Office, Ranipet; U Karthik, VAO, Padianallur village; M Venkatesan, now working as Taluk Supply Officer, Arakkonam and S Mathi, former Deputy Tahsidar Walajapet taluk.
M Venkatesan, inspector, formerly posted at Sholingur police station; G Maharajan, SI; Baskaran, SI; and constables, including Special Branch officials are among the police personnel listed as accused in the DVAC FIR.
The DVAC carried out a detailed probe based on a report by K Elambahaveth, the then Sub-Collector and Divisional Magistrate of Ranipet, after his team conducted a surprise check at Pulivalam village to check illegal gravel and soil quarrying by P Saravanan, cited as accused number 3 in the FIR.
During the raid, an earthmover, two lorries, two mobile phones and a two-wheeler were seized by the team. One of the seized mobile phones belonged to Saravanan. The call data records of the seized mobile phones showed details of financial transactions concerning the purchase of an SUV in the name Murugesan’s wife. The communication details also showed that the gravel smuggler was in regular touch with other accused Revenue and police officials as well.
DVAC arrests Srirangam Tangedco AE for taking bribe
DVAC sleuths arrested an Assistant Engineer from the Tangedco for collecting Rs 30,000 as bribe for an additional meter in Tiruchy on Monday. P Palaniappan (46), a resident of Thiruvanaikoil wanted to install an additional meter at his house and approached Srirangam Tangedco office and applied for the same.
As soon as he submitted the application, the Assistant Engineer Rajendran demanded Rs 50,000 as a bribe for getting the meter installed from Palaniappan. However, Palaniappan had negotiated and promised to part with Rs 30,000.
In such a backdrop, Palaniappan who was not willing to give the bribe, lodged a complaint with the Tiruchy DVAC office. Based on the complaint, the DVAC sleuths led by the DSP organised a trap. Following this the AE Rajendran was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 30,000 from Palaniappan. Subsequently, the team conducted a search operation at the Tangedco office and the house of Rajendran. Later, he was produced before the court and was lodged in the prison.
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