Mineral Revenue Inspector held for 'accepting bribe' in Kannur

Kannur (Kerala), Jul 16 (PTI) A Mineral Revenue Inspector attached to the District Mining and Geology Office here was arrested by the VACB while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 here on Thursday, officials said. The arrested official was identified as P P Sreedharan (49), a native of Koyyeri here. According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), the complainant, a native of Cherukunnu in Kannur, had applied in June 2025 for permission to collect and sell river sand. Alleging a delay in granting the permit, he approached the High Court and secured a favourable order, officials said. Subsequently, the Mining and Geology Office asked him to produce relevant documents. VACB said that when he met the Mineral Revenue Inspector, he was told that a site inspection would be conducted before the permit was issued. However, when officials failed to carry out the inspection, the complainant again approached the office on July 15 to enquire about the delay. During the meeting, Sreedharan allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 as a bribe to conduct the site inspection and process the application, VACB officials said. After the complainant expressed inability to pay the amount, the official allegedly agreed to accept Rs 15,000 and asked him to pay it on July 16 when the inspection was to be carried out, officials said. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Kannur Vigilance Unit, following which a trap was laid. The VACB said Sreedharan was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 15,000 from the complainant near Irinavu Junction at around 4.30 pm on Thursday, officials said. The accused will be produced before the Vigilance Court in Thalassery, officials added. PTI TBA TBA ROH