Mangaluru:  Surveyor caught accepting bribe by Lokayukta Police

Team Udayavani, Mar 7, 2024, 7:58 PM IST

A surveyor in Mangaluru was apprehended red-handed by the Lokayukta police while accepting a sum of Rs 4,000 on Thursday. He was promptly placed into judicial custody, alongside the confiscated bribe money.

The sequence of events leading to Raj’s arrest began when a 72-year-old woman, suffering from illness, sought assistance through a relative to get Tatkal Podi. Utilizing an online application process facilitated by the Pahani Division of the Mangalore District Collector’s office, she paid a fee of Rs 1500 electronically and received a corresponding receipt.

On February 29, surveyor Sheetal Raj  conducted a survey of her land. Subsequently, he demanded an additional Rs 5,000 in exchange for providing a map of the surveyed area. Disturbed by this demand for a bribe, a complaint was lodged with the Lokayukta police.

The subsequent investigation revealed a systematic pattern of corruption, with Raj persisting in his demand for a bribe, which was eventually negotiated down to Rs 4,000. It was at this point that the Lokayukta police intervened, apprehending Raj in the act of accepting the illicit payment.