Kozhikode: Seven people, including two clerks, building owner and a retired engineer, were arrested in the illegal building number allocation case that rocked the Kozhikode Corporation.

Clerks Anil Kumar and Suresh, a retired assistant engineer, three middlemen and the land owner were those arrested by the police. They conspired to allot a building number to an illegally constructed building in Karikkamkulam in Karaparamba in the city limits. Rs 4 lakh was paid as bribe to get it done, police have found.

The activity was carried out by logging into the tax payment software Sanchaya using 'leaked username and passwords'. Corporation has suspended four of its employees in the revenue wing in relation to the case. The employees associations have called for an indefinite strike from Monday onwards against the act of the Corporation secretary. The suspended officers include a whistleblower who brought the irregularity into the notice of the higher authorities six months ago, they say.

The arrested people are charged with forgery, impersonation, and sections of IT Act, said Kozhikode Assistant Commissioner M Siddique. A total of six cases have been registered and the arrests are on one case, he said.

Meanwhile, the suspicion that the method was implemented to regularise many illegal buildings in Kozhikode is strong.