Vigilance sleuths raid Kerala official, seize cash and papers

In day-long raids conducted by the vigilance and anti-corruption department at the home and office of a senior Kerala bureaucrat Wednesday, cash and records of property dealings were recovered.

T.O. Sooraj, the state PWD secretary, was under the lens of the vigilance department for some time.

Vigilance officials who reached Sooraj's office in the state secretariat had to wait awhile until Chief Secretary E.K. Bharat Bhushan gave his nod, when his room was opened.

This raid comes close on the heels of the suspension of young IPS officer Rahul R. Nair early this week after it was found that he had allegedly taken a bribe of Rs. 17 lakh from quarry owners.

As soon as the allegation of the bribe surfaced a few months back, Nair was moved out from a plum post to that of a commandant of the training wing of the Kerala Police.

After the vigilance department submitted its probe report, Nair was suspended from service.

Vigilance officials will, in the coming days, examine in detail Sooraj's known sources of income and also look into the list of assets that he has filed with the state government. They will then submit their report to the Thrissur vigilance court.