Central University of Kerala professor arrested for taking bribe from guest teacher

Kasaragod: The state government's Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) arrested Central University of Kerala's Professor of the Department of Social Work for allegedly accepting bribes from a guest faculty member.

Prof Mohan A K, who was arrested Wednesday evening, will be produced before the Vigilance Court in Kozhikode on Thursday, said a VACB inspector in Kasaragod.

According to a statement released by VACB, Prof Mohan allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh from a guest faculty member to renew the contract that ended in December 2023 and also to admit him to the PhD programme.

The guest teacher contacted the Intelligence wing of the VACB. The complaint was forwarded to Prajeesh Thottathil, VACB's Northern Range Superintendent of Police in Kozhikode. The SP planned the trap for the professor. As the first instalment of the Rs 2 lakh sought, the Vigilance gave the complainant Rs 20,000 in cash laced with phenolphthalein powder.

"The complainant gave the money to the professor in his chamber in Central University of Kerala," said the inspector quoted in the first instance. Soon after, a Vigilance team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police V K Vishwambaran Nair searched his office and found the cash.

The team was accompanied by Revenue Recovery Tahsildar P Shibu and Assistant Planning Officer Riju Mathew.

He has been booked under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. If found guilty, he faces imprisonment for a term not less than three years and may extend to seven years.

Sources close to Prof Mohan said that the complainant was a guest lecturer in the department for the past five years and had borrowed some money from him. "Yesterday, he came to return a part of it. Prof Mohan said he did not want the money but the guest teacher left the money on his table and left," said a person who spoke with him.