The Hindu

• He allegedly demanded Rs. 25,000 from a beneficiary
• Rs 1 lac was given to a poor beneficiary for a borewell
• He was asked to pay a bribe to get clearance for his project

Mangalore, Apr 28: The Dakshina Kannada police have booked cases against a cleric and the vice-president of the Kolnad Gram Panchayat for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs. 25,000 from a beneficiary of the Ganga Kalyan scheme here on Friday. Chairman of the Karnataka Minority Development Corporation (KMDC) Anwar Manippady helped solve the case.

Manippady was approached by one Mohammad a month ago for sinking a borewell in his plot in Salethur Manchi in Kolnad Gram Panchayat area. Despite constraints, the corporation chairman had extended help to Mr. Mohammad as he came from a very backward area of the district and was in abject poverty.

In accordance with provisions of the Ganga Kalyan scheme and the corporation rules Mr. Mohammad was sanctioned Rs. 1 lakh for sinking a borewell, purchase of a pump and power connection for the establishment. When this proposal came to the panchayat office, Abdulla Faizi, a local cleric (Khatib in a mosque), had approached Mohammad stating that the local gram panchayat vice-president A.C. Mohideen should be given money as he had the power to clear his project. Initially the demand was for Rs. 5,000 but later it went up to Rs. 25,000, said Anwar.

When Manippady came to know about this, he set up a trap. He asked Mohammad to pay the panchayat vice-president Rs. 10,000 at a pre-fixed venue in the village.

Caught Red-handed

Accordingly Manippady, dressed like a poor Muslim, and a police sub inspector in mufti arrived at the spot. They caught them and took them to the Bantwal Rural police station. Bantwal Rural Police has filed cases of corruption against them.

Earlier Manippady had sought help from the local Lokayukta police but as there was no response he had to take the help of the local police.