Kerala vigilance agency seizes cash in disproportionate-assets probe
Kerala’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau says it seized ₹14.10 lakh and $788 from the Kochi residence of a senior State Goods and Services Tax official. The search forms part of a disproportionate-assets investigation involving alleged unexplained wealth and claims that tax cases were settled after bribes.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in Kerala has seized ₹14.10 lakh and $788 in alleged unaccounted cash from the residence of a senior State Goods and Services Tax official in Kochi. The cash was recovered from the Pachalam residence of GST Joint Commissioner Prajani Rajan on Saturday, September 26, the agency said in a statement. The operation forms part of a disproportionate-assets case registered against the official.
According to the VACB, a preliminary investigation found that Rajan had allegedly accumulated assets worth about ₹2.89 crore in excess of her known sources of income between 2014 and 2024. The allegation has not been established in court. The agency said its action followed complaints alleging that certain high-profile tax-evasion cases had been settled after bribes were accepted.
The VACB did not provide further details of the cases in its statement. Searches were conducted simultaneously at two houses allegedly owned by Rajan in Pachalam and at the GST joint commissioner’s office in Thevara. Teams led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Yesudas A.L.
carried out the searches from 7.45 a.m. to 9.15 p.m. on Saturday.
The agency said the recovered cash and documents would be produced before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court. The court will consider material submitted in connection with the investigation. Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham urged members of the public to report bribery and corruption.
The VACB listed a toll-free helpline, a direct telephone line, a WhatsApp number and an email address for complaints. The agency’s statement did not announce any arrest in connection with the searches.
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