Surveyor arrested in Tiruvannamalai on bribery charges

A land surveyor of Polur taluk office near Arani town in Tiruvannamalai was arrested by sleuths of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for demanding and taking a bribe of ₹5,000 from a farmer to measure his house for re-construction.

DVAC sources said that the complainant K. Chinnarasu, 57, a farmer, was living with his family in a dilapidated ancestral house in Polur town for many years. As the building has cracks on its walls and roof, he decided to re-build the house in a portion of land. Remaining land could be sold to prospective buyers.

Chinnarasu applied for a survey of the land at the taluk office a few months ago. Since then, he has been regularly visiting the office, especially the land surveyor’s office. He also met the suspect B. Sakthivel, 42, land surveyor, and requested him to visit his house to measure the total area of the plot.

The land surveyor reportedly demanded a sum of ₹6,000 for the job. Initially, he demanded ₹15,000 for the work but reduced the amount due to Chinnarasu’s meagre income.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, Chinnarasu lodged a complaint with the DVAC. A seven-member team led by S. Arul Prasad, Inspector, DVAC (Tiruvannamalai) caught Mr. Sakthivel red-handed. A case has been registered against him.