Kerala Vigilance uncovers alleged bribery in land conversion; Officer received ₹4.59 lakh via GPay

Thiruvananthapuram: The Vigilance is probing the financial transactions of officials who were nabbed during inspections at Revenue offices. The action is linked to irregularities in land conversion cases. The investigation focuses on money transfers involving officials suspected to have connections with middlemen, as well as their relatives.

It has been found that an officer at the Muvattupuzha Revenue Divisional Office received ₹4.59 lakh through Google Pay from an agency involved in land conversion process. Another officer at the same office is suspected to have received ₹1.69 lakh through Google Pay.

The Vigilance probe, named ‘Operation Harithakavacham,’ was launched following complaints that wetlands and paddy fields were being illegally removed from the Data Bank in violation of the Kerala Paddy Land and Wetland Conservation Act and related rules.

In Malappuram, it was found that after an application to remove land from the Data Bank was rejected, the property was registered under another person’s name, and land conversion approval was obtained by influencing officials.

At the Thaliparamba RDO office, it was found that land listed in the Data Bank was removed without obtaining a report from the Agricultural Officer. In many districts, several applications have remained pending for years. In suspicious cases, Vigilance has decided to collect and verify satellite images from the Remote Sensing and Environment Centre.