Bribery Scandal: Forest Officials Caught in the Act

Two forest officials, Sreejith C P and Jimmy Scaria, were arrested by the VACB in Kochi for allegedly accepting a Rs 1 lakh bribe to exclude certain individuals from a forest department case. The arrest was made after a complainant reported the corrupt act to the vigilance unit.

In a significant operation by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), two forest officials were apprehended for accepting a bribe in Kochi. The officials were attempting to exclude individuals from a legal case concerning the Forest Department.

The incident began when employees from a Kakkanad restaurant were caught and accused of killing a monitor lizard. Forest officials reportedly sought to exploit the situation by threatening additional arrests unless a bribe was paid.

The alleged bribe, amounting to Rs 1 lakh, was demanded by Deputy Range Officer Sreejith C P and Section Forest Officer Jimmy Scaria. Upon the complainant's report, the VACB conducted a sting operation resulting in the arrest of the officials, who are now set to appear before the Vigilance Court.