Twenty government officials in Ernakulam district were caught red-handed while allegedly accepting bribes by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) in 2025. The officials, belonging to nine departments, were arrested in 14 cases, according to VACB data. The cases involved bribes amounting to a total of ₹4,49,500.
The figures show a steep increase from the previous year, when six officials were arrested in four cases involving ₹37,000. The arrests were made after the officials fell into spot traps laid by the VACB based on complaints from the public.
Of the 20 accused arrested in cases registered in 2025, three each belonged to the Local Self-Government department and the police. Two officials from the Revenue department were nabbed, while one each from the Motor Vehicles department, Kerala Water Authority, Kerala State Electricity Board, the Irrigation department, the Directorate of Enforcement, and a bank were also trapped.
The major cases in 2025 include the arrests of an assistant engineer of the KSEB’s Thevara section office and a building inspector at the Kochi Corporation’s Vyttila zonal office. They had allegedly demanded bribes of ₹90,000 and ₹15,000 respectively for delivering official services.
