Puthanatham VAO suspended on bribery charge
A Village Administrative Officer in Puthanatham has been suspended following the emergence of a video showing him accepting a bribe from a sand smuggler. The officer allegedly demanded ₹50,000 for releasing a lorry caught illegally transporting gravel. An investigation is underway to verify the authenticity of the clips, as stated by the local collector.
- ▪The VAO was caught on video accepting money from a sand smuggler.
- ▪He allegedly demanded ₹50,000 for releasing a lorry involved in illegal gravel transport.
- ▪The collector confirmed that an inquiry is being conducted to verify the video and audio evidence.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
A Village Administrative Officer attached to Puthanatham near Manapparai has been placed under suspension after a clip, showing him accepting money from a sand smuggler, went viral on social media platforms.The clip showed VAO Saravanan while standing in front of the police station at Puthanatham receiving money from a person apparently for illegally transporting gravel by a lorry, which was reportedly caught by the official when it was loading gravel from a waterbody.In a related audio clip, a person, who claimed to be a son of DMK councillor of North Edayapatti, says he had transported 2,000 loads based on a permit and it had lapsed just a day ago. The VAO allegedly demanded ₹50,000 for releasing the lorry.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Hindu — Top.
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