Excise Officials Search Keralam Deputy Commissioner’s House Over Bribery

Searches were conducted at the residence of the Kottayam Excise Deputy Commissioner and two other officials as part of a probe into allegations that the officer was receiving illegal gratification from bar owners, officials said on Saturday. 

A team led by Excise Commissioner Sreeram Sambasiva Rao in coordination with the department's Vigilance Wing first searched a bar in Changanassery here on Friday night and later searched the residences of Deputy Commissioner Asok Kumar, an Excise Inspector and another department



official, sources said.

According to Excise officials, Rao had received information that Kumar was allegedly receiving illegal gratification from bars in Kottayam district. Based on the information, a secret inquiry was conducted before the searches. 

During the search at the Changanassery bar, investigators examined CCTV footage, mobile phone, and bank account details as part of the probe, officials said. The team later searched Kumar's residence and the residences of the two other officers.