VAO caught taking bribe

Madurai: A village administrative officer (VAO) in Melur taluk was caught red-handed allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 for a patta name transfer on Tuesday.
Officials said the accused, M Duraipandi, 46, VAO of Katchirayanpatti village in Madurai district, allegedly demanded the bribe from Malai Selvam to transfer the patta for land in Kottaipatti village from the complainant's parents' names to his own.
The trap was carried out between 1pm and 1.15pm on Tuesday. During the operation, M Backiyalakshmi, a private assistant of the VAO, received the bribe and was caught with the tainted cash in her hand. The amount was recovered and investigation is in progress, added the officials.