Chennai: Tambaram revenue divisional officer, Alandur tahsildar and revenue inspector were arrested by sleuths of DVAC for demanding and receiving a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a petrol bunk owner to issue an NOC for extension of the area of the facility in Nandambakkam, on Wednesday.
DVAC officials identified the arrested persons as RDO M.Ravichandran, Alandur tahsildar Dhanasekharan and revenue inspector Muthazhagan when they were receiving the money from Mohana Sundaram, who runs the bunk. DVAC sources said Mohana Sundaram initially approached revenue inspector to know the procedure for extending the area of his bunk. The RI informed about the application to the tahsildar, who in turn updated RDO.
The revenue inspector on Monday told Mohana Sundaram that he would have to pay Rs 5 lakh as a bribe to get papers cleared from the revenue department. A shocked Mohana Sundaram then decided to approach the DVAC officials with his complaint. After discussing the situation with the DVAC officials, Mohana Sundaram called up the RI to say that he would give Rs 1 lakh initially and the rest of the money would give after he gets the paper work completed.
The RI then asked him to meet him and his seniors in the Tambaram RDO office on Tuesday night 9.30. The DVAC sleuths, as per plan, were also ready near the RDO office. As soon as Mohana Sundaram reached the RI took him to the chamber of RDO who was sitting with the tahsildar. Mohana Sundaram handed over the money to the tahsildar, who in turn gave the cash to RDO.
As soon as RDO pushed the money to his drawer, DVAC sleuths stepped in and arrested the three. All the three were later remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Puzhal prison on Wednesday.
