BDO overseer held for taking Rs 20,000 bribe in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvannamalai

TIRUVANNAMALAI: A Block Development Office (BDO) overseer was arrested on Monday for allegedly taking a Rs 20,000 bribe from a sub-contractor in Polur, Tiruvannamalai. One other temporary employee, Rajkumar, was held in connection with the case.

According to Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) sources, Purushothaman (48) allegedly demanded the bribe from sub-contractor D Rajaram.  "Rajaram got the sub-contract from contractor G Murugan. He employed wage labourers to carry out the construction of a canal near MGR Statue in Tindivanam panchayat under Murugan's direct supervision," the sources added.

The job was completed in December 2021 at a cost of Rs 2 lakh. Sources said that while Purushothaman conducted a field inspection,  he put off signing the M-Book which ensures payments to the contractor.

Despite Rajaram urging Purushothaman many times over the last eight months to write the M-Book, the overseer refused to do so. On Saturday, when Rajaram made the request again, the officer demanded Rs 20,000 bribe to do the work.

Based on Rajaram's complaint, the DVAC team led by DSP S Velmurugan set a trap and caught Purushothaman red-handed. Inspector G Mythily was also part of the team.