What happened to the VAO of Mittahalli village?

The VAO of Mittahalli village, Ramanathan, was arrested for taking a ₹5,000 bribe to issue an inheritance certificate to Lakshmi, the widow of a former army soldier.

How did the authorities catch the VAO in the act?

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) provided Lakshmi with chemical-coated currency notes, and then caught Ramanathan red-handed when he accepted the bribe money.

Who filed the complaint against the VAO?

Lakshmi's maternal uncle, M Kasi, lodged the complaint with the DVAC on her behalf after the VAO demanded the bribe.

Home / Crime and Justice / Grieving Widow Fights Corruption, Leads to VAO's Arrest

Grieving Widow Fights Corruption, Leads to VAO's Arrest

28 Oct

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Summary

Village administrative officer arrested for bribery
Widow sought inheritance certificate, VAO demanded ₹5,000 bribe
DVAC sting operation catches VAO red-handed taking bribe

Grieving Widow Fights Corruption, Leads to VAO's Arrest

On October 26, 2025, a village administrative officer (VAO) in Krishnagiri district was arrested for accepting a bribe to issue an inheritance certificate. The arrested VAO, Ramanathan, was responsible for Mittahalli village.

The incident came to light when Lakshmi, the wife of a former army soldier V Ganapathi who recently passed away in a road accident, sought an inheritance certificate from Ramanathan. However, the VAO allegedly demanded a ₹5,000 bribe to issue the certificate. Lakshmi's maternal uncle, M Kasi, then lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on her behalf.

Acting on the complaint, DVAC officials provided Lakshmi with chemical-coated currency notes. In a sting operation, Ramanathan was caught red-handed when he accepted the bribe money from Lakshmi. He has since been remanded to judicial custody at the Salem central prison.

A case has been registered, and further investigation into the matter is ongoing. The incident highlights the persistent issue of corruption in government offices, even in sensitive matters like inheritance certificates for grieving families.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.