Ernakulam Additional District Magistrate caught red-handed accepting Rs 1 lakh bribe

KOCHI: Ernakulam Additional District Magistrate (ADM) B. Ramachandran was arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau officials early on Saturday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh for giving different licences to a fireworks vendor.

The arrest was effected at 7.30 am at Kakkanad NGO quarters where the ADM resides, after he placed his hands on the phenophthalin-creased notes.

These were entr-usted with the complainant by the Vigilance and handed over to the ADM by him. The arrest was based on the complaint lodged by Linof Joseph, who runs a fireworks shop at Tripunithura.

Linof had approached the ADM for licences for starting a new cracker shop, raising the quantity of crackers’ sale in the existing shop and opening a room for stocking crackers.

The arrest was effected in the presence of two gazetted officers and it was videographed also. The ADM is learnt to have demanded Rs 5 lakh for giving the licence.

After bargaining, this was brought down to Rs 3 lakh. The complainant later approached the Vigilance with a video footage of his conversations with the ADM.

Ramachandran was produced at the Vigilance court in Thrissur and remanded in judicial custody.