Transport officer caught while taking ₹5,000 bribe

Karur: Sleuths of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Tuesday arrested a regional transport officer in Karur for accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 from a private bus owner to reduce tax assessment.The accused, Dharmanandham, was caught red-handed by DVAC officials following a complaint from Rajendran, a private bus operator from Pasupathipalayam.Officials said Rajendran approached the Karur RTO to remit taxes for one of his ageing buses. Dharumanandham, who was serving as the officer-in-charge, demanded ₹5,000 to lower the tax assessment. Unwilling to pay the bribe, Rajendran alerted DVAC.Acting on the complaint, a DVAC team instructed Rajendran to hand over chemical-laced currency notes to Dharmanandham. He was caught while receiving the money. Further investigation is on.