The Vigilance team arrested Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector of the Payyannur Sub-Regional Transport Office in connection with taking bribe from applicants arriving at the office for various works.
The AMVI has been remanded to custody till November 1 after he was produced before the Thalassery Vigilance court.
The vigilance team arrested P.V. Prasad (43), a resident of Karivellur. The team reached the office and took AMVI into custody by 4 p.m. on October 18.
The Kannur Vigilance Dy SP Babu Peringeth, who led the investigation, said that the office and AMVI was under surveillance following information that there was rampant corruption here and officials demanded money from the applicants for the vehicle's certificates and other requirements.
Mr. Peringeth said that as the agent was not available, the applicant was asked to hand over ₹6,000 to the driver for giving it to the AMVI. The AMVI then handed over the money to Suresh, who has been running a supermarket in the building.
The team had set a trap, after receiving information that the AMVI had asked for ₹6,000 on October 18 for issuing a certificate for an applicant.
The vigilance had coated the currency notes with phenolphthalein powder. The team recovered ₹5,500, which was coated phenolphthalein powder and another ₹5,000 collected by the supermarket owner.
Mr. Peringeth claimed that there is information that every day ₹20,000 is collected by the AMVI here. Though the AMVI initially denied the allegations when he was taken into custody, but was found guilty on chemical tests.
Mr. Prasad has been working in the motor vehicle department for seven years. A case may also be charged against the Supermarket owner.
During the raid on the officer's house, ₹69,000 and documents including the purchase of the land were recovered.
The vigilance team said the money would be confiscated by the government if sufficient documents could not be produced and other documents would be scrutinized in detail.
The inspection was carried out by a team comprising Vigilance Inspector PR Manoj, SI KP Pankajakshan, ASIs P Nijesh, MV Vinod, P Biju, K Sreejith, Jayasree, SCPOs M Shaiju, Sajith Kotheri.
