Excise Officials Search Keralam Deputy Commissioner’s House Over Bribery
According to Excise officials, Excise Commissioner Sreeram Sambasiva Rao had received information that Deputy Commissioner Asok Kumar was allegedly receiving illegal gratification from bars in Kottayam district
Kottayam: Searches were conducted at the residence of the Kottayam Excise Deputy Commissioner and two other officials as part of a probe into allegations that the officer was receiving illegal gratification from bar owners, officials said on Saturday.
A team led by Excise Commissioner Sreeram Sambasiva Rao in coordination with the department's Vigilance Wing first searched a bar in Changanassery here on Friday night and later searched the residences of Deputy Commissioner Asok Kumar, an Excise Inspector and another department official, sources said.
According to Excise officials, Rao had received information that Kumar was allegedly receiving illegal gratification from bars in Kottayam district.
Based on the information, a secret inquiry was conducted before the searches.
During the search at the Changanassery bar, investigators examined CCTV footage, mobile phone, and bank account details as part of the probe, officials said.
The team later searched Kumar's residence and the residences of the two other officers.
Mobile phones and bank account details were recovered during the searches, officials said.
Investigators have received information that the bar owner had allegedly collected money from other bar operators to hand it over to the Deputy Commissioner, Excise sources said.
Kumar and the two other officers have been summoned to the Excise Headquarters on Saturday, where they will be asked to explain their conduct.
Disciplinary action will be initiated based on the findings, officials said.
The Excise Department is also likely to refer the matter to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) for a detailed investigation, they added.
