Vigilance and Anti-Corruption sleuths on Saturday, October 28, 2023 seized ₹11.50 lakh unaccounted money from the residence of Joint Registrar (in-charge), K. Sundareswaran (58) in Madurai, a day after the Virudhunagar unit of DVAC seized ₹1.25 lakh from his possession near Virudhunagar.
Along with Sundareswaran, another employee, N. Muthukasi (52), who is an IT camera operator in the office, has been booked by the DVAC under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Acting on a tip-off about collection of bribe money from those registering their documents through the document writers, the sleuths of Virudhunagar DVAC, led by its Additional Superintendent of Police, K. Ramachandran, kept a watch on Sundareswaran.
The sleuths found that Sundareswaran, a resident of Sellur in Madurai, used to travel to his office in Virudhunagar by hired cars. After getting dropped at his office, the call-taxi, which he had hired was waiting nearby his office for him to board.
Sundareswaran along with Muthukasi had walked some distance after coming out of their office and boarded the car. The sleuths who were shadowing his movement, intercepted the car at the Chatrareddiyapatti police checkpost on Virudhunagar-Madurai highway on Friday late evening.
During the check, the police found that Sundareswaran was in possession of ₹1.25 lakh unaccounted money. After taking him back to his office, the police conducted check and interrogated him. The sleuths found that Sundareswaran and Muthukasi had mentioned that they were carrying only ₹500 and ₹540 respectively as their personal cash on Friday as per their office register.
Secret code in bribe list
The sleuths also found that Sundareswaran maintained a list of bribe amount to be collected from each document-writer, using secret codes, on his computer. The hard copy of the list is handed over to the camera operator, who also hails from Madurai, to collect the money from each document-writer based on the value of document. He would later walk to the car with the money and hand over to Sundareswaran while returning home.
The sleuths said that he had collected from ₹2,000 to ₹40,000 against each document registered on Friday.
He had been using different cars each day to come to office and return home so that he could not be followed by the vigilance sleuths.
Later, according to DVAC sources, the sleuths searched his house in Madurai and seized ₹11.50 lakh cash for which he could not account for. The sleuths believe that it could be the collection made during the month of October.
Call DVAC to alert
People of Virudhunagar district can contact the DVAC ADSP, K. Ramachandran, to alert about corrupt practices in State Government offices in the district over 94981-05882. The information and the identity of the caller would be kept confidential.
