A 52-year-old cashier of Walajah Municipality in Ranipet district was arrested by sleuths of Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Saturday for demanding and taking a bribe of ₹5,000 from sanitary staff of the civic body to release her salary arrears.
DVAC sources said that the complainant S. Gopalakrishnan, 32, son of S. Eramma, 57, who works as sanitary staff in the Municipality, was living with his mother in Walajah town for many years. Eramma was working with the civic body as permanent staff and had to get the arrear payment of her salary and other dues. The Municipality had cleared her dues after passing necessary resolutions at monthly council meetings.
After hearing about the clearance by the Municipality, Eramma had been urging K. Devaraj, 52, a cashier and manager in-charge, Walajah Municipality, to release of her arrears. A few days ago, cashier Devaraj told her that she has to pay at least ₹15,000 to get her arrears and other dues. Later, the cashier reduced the amount to ₹5,000, demanding a major portion of Eramma’s meagre income.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, Eramma told her son, who lodged a complaint with the DVAC. A seven-member team led by S. Ganesh, Deputy SP, DVAC (Ranipet), laid a trap at the Municipal office where the cashier was caught her red-handed. A case has been registered against him and further probe is under way.
Published – December 07, 2025 12:24 am IST
