VACB books village field asst for illegally amassing Rs 2.24 cr

KOCHI: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has registered a case against an Edakkazhiyoor village field assistant for amassing assets worth `2.24 crore disproportionate to the government servant's known sources of income.The VACB Special Cell, Ernakulam, registered the case against K G Gokul of Kozhikully, Thrissur, who entered government services as village field assistant in Revenue Department on the die-in-harness basis in 2001. The FIR was submitted with the Vigilance Court in Thrissur on September 26 following the nod by the Vigilance Director.

In its preliminary probe, VACB assessed the wealth Gokul amassed from December 2001 to April 2017. The VACB FIR said Gokul acquired 219.995 cents of land and property worth `1,77,49,750 in his name and 28.550 cents of land valued at `65,60,000 in the name of his wife. The total salary he received in the period was `18,83,132. 

"The disproportionate assets in the accused's possession in the assessed period was `2,24,26,618," the FIR said. A VACB officer said the bureau decided to register the case against Gokul following the preliminary probe. The case was registered under Section 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, following the approval of the Vigilance Director recently.