VACB busts ‘soil mafia’ nexus in Statewide crackdown; 14 officials apprehended for graft

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has unearthed large-scale corruption and environmental exploitation through its Statewide ‘Operation Earth Guard’ that focussed on the nexus between government officials and the ‘soil mafia.’

As many as 14 officials from the Mining and Geology department and local self-government institutions were caught having received ₹4,69,800 in bribes from middlemen. The raids covering 72 offices across Kerala, including all 14 district mining and geology offices, exposed widespread destruction of hills where soil was removed without requisite permits.