Sleuths from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) wing searched the rented premises of a Joint Chief Environmental Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board in Vellore and seized ₹33.73 lakh cash on Tuesday night. A case will be registered against the accused official under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, sources said.
According to DVAC sources, the sleuths searched the premises at Municipal Colony, Viruthampet as well as the car of the accused M. Panneerselvam. After over five hours of search, a total of ₹33.73 lakh was seized. Sources alleged that the official was using the rented premises for collecting bribes.
The official is in charge of six offices in Dharmapuri, Tiruvannamalai, Hosur, Vaniyambadi, Villupuram, and Vellore and is responsible for providing approval for pollution-related clearances. The DVAC officers are continuing the search.
Further investigations are on.
