The official had argued that the latter didn’t pay anything in bribe while transferring property ownership in his wife’s name on two previous occasions, which interestingly happened 20 years ago. S Kandan, retired SI, was trying to transfer a property belonged to his late mother-in-law to his wife Parvathy when Palayamkottai ward superintendent Shanmugham found that it is time for the former policeman to pay some bribe because two earlier transfers of properties, belonging to his mother-in-law, were done without paying any bribe. Sellammal, mother of Kandan’s wife Parvathy, had died in 2001 and Sellammal’s husband Chellaiah had passed away in 1974. The couple had adopted Parvathy and properties were transferred after getting the mandatory succession certificates.

 Shanmugham argued that Kandan had ‘cheated’ him on earlier occasions by not giving the ‘due’ bribe. Though Kandan refused, Shanmugham insisted on Rs 5,000 for handing over the papers despite the fact the office of the Corporation Commissioner had cleared it. That is when the ex-cop decided to approach the DVAC.

 Based on a complaint from Kandan, the DVAC, Tirunelveli registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.