Corruption case: GCC engineer jailed in 14-year-old corruption case | Chennai News

Chennai: A city court has sentenced an assistant engineer of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to two years in jail in connection with a 14-year-old corruption case. In 2008, N Kamalakannan of Adambakkam proposed demolishing his father's old building to construct a new house on the same land. When he approached the company office for the mandatory approvals, R Velmurugan, then 43, demanded a bribe of 5,000 euros. Frustrated, Kamalakannan lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), which then laid a trap to catch the engineer red-handed. Two state government officials, posing as Kamalakannan's friends, received ten 500 notes treated with colorless and invisible phenolphthalein powder. After handing over the money to Velmurugan, officers monitoring the transaction apprehended him. Velmurugan's hands were then washed with a basic sodium carbonate solution, which turned pink due to the presence of phenolphthalein, indicating that he had handled the treated notes. In addition to the bribe, the DVAC seized another 37,500 unaccounted cash from the Velmurugan office. Velmurugan was arrested and during the trial his lawyer argued that some columns of the police first information report (FIR) were blank, there was no mention of the missing cash and that there were discrepancies in the evidence submitted by the police. Magistrate T Jayashree dismissed these objections, considering some insignificant and others addressed in the enhanced evidence. The testimonies of the two undercover agents played a crucial role in the decision. At the final hearing last month, Velmurugan confessed to demanding the bribe and asked for leniency because of his age, diabetes and responsibility for his elderly parents. The court sentenced him to two years of simple imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 euros.

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