SALEM: Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) sleuths have seized 7 kg of gold and Rs 26 lakh in cash during searches at the residences of three people linked to an alleged Rs 3 lakh bribery case involving a Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board engineer in Hosur.K Prathap, 41, a quarry operator from Mettur, had approached Krishnagiri district environmental engineer V Purushothaman for an environmental clearance certificate to expand his business. Purushothaman allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh. Later, he reduced the bribe amount to Rs 10 lakh.He allegedly directed Prathap to give the first installment of Rs 3 lakh to an intermediary named S Sivakumar in Salem. Prathap alerted DVAC police, who gave him chemical-coated currency notes on Sept 2.Prathap handed Rs 3 lakh to Sivakumar’s assistant Murugan at Five Roads Junction in Salem. DVAC officers waiting nearby caught Murugan red-handed and arrested him.DVAC officers subsequently conducted searches in Salem, Krishnagiri and Hosur on Friday. The searched premises included the TNPCB office in Hosur.“The searches on the suspects’ residences led to the recovery of 7 kg of gold and Rs 26 lakh,” said a DVAC officer.Purushothaman and Sivakumar detained for questioning.
