Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP) 

Puttur, Oct 5: An Anti Corruption Bureau team trapped a surveyor red-handed at Uppinangady in the taluk on Friday, October 4 afternoon when he was accepting bribe to execute 'Podi' plotting of land. 

The man who was caught in the act has been identified as M Shivakumar, a surveyor of survey department working in the taluk office here. It is said that he was accepting bribe for undertaking the work of plotting of land belonging to Gopala Mogera in Hirebandady village when the ACB officials caught him. 

Babu Mogera had applied for plotting and division of land that is held jointly in the names of his mother and elder brother, on January 21, 2015. Even though his application was pending since the last nearly five years, the survey department had not undertaken the work as requested. When he approached surveyor, M Shivakumar, he reportedly said that for these things, several people have to be bribed and sought payment of Rs 30,000. Gopala Mogera, who is a coolie, confessed that he did not have money. Then Shivakumar is said to have asked him to pay at least Rs 20,000 to attend to the work, adding that in case of non-payment, the work would not be attended to. When he said he cannot pay in lump sum, Gopala was asked to pay in installments. 

Gopala Mogera then approached the ACB with this information. The ACB drew up a plan to trap the surveyor. As per this plan, Gopala Mogera told Shivakumar that he would pay Rs 5,000 being an installment of the said sum on October 4. As per Shivakumar's advice, he had arrived near Aditya Hotel at Uppinangady. When Shivakumar was receiving the said amount, ACB officials nabbed him, registered a case, and questioned him. 

ACB acting superintendent of police, Sudhir Hegde, guided the operation in which ACB police inspectors, Shyam Sundar and Yogeesh along with other staff participated.