IOC suspends Deputy GM Alex Matthew following arrest in bribery case
Alex Mathew, the DGM at IOC's Ernakulam office, was caught red-handed at the complainant's residence.
Alex Mathew, the DGM at IOC's Ernakulam office, was caught red-handed at the complainant's residence.
Alex Mathew, the DGM at IOC's Ernakulam office, was caught red-handed at the complainant's residence.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Sunday suspended Deputy General Manager of Ernakulam Office Alex Matthew following his arrest in a bribery case. The Vigilance Department arrested Matthew on Saturday while he was receiving a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a gas agency owner.
"In response to several media reports regarding alleged corruption by an official of the Corporation, Indian Oil has taken action to place the officer under suspension and strict disciplinary action will be initiated as per the Rules, the IOC said in a statement without naming the official. "Indian Oil is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in all its operations,” the statement added.
The accused was caught by officers of the Special Investigation Unit-1 of the Vigilance Department at the complainant's residence in Kuravankonam, Thiruvananthapuram, around 7.30 pm, an official statement said. Matthew had allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from the complainant to prevent the transfer of customers from his wife's IOC-licensed gas agency to other agencies.
When the complainant refused, the official allegedly transferred 1,200 connections to other agencies, it said. The accused later warned the complainant that more customer connections would be reassigned if the bribe was not paid upon his visit to Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Following the threat, the gas agency owner informed the Vigilance Department, which laid a trap and arrested Matthew while accepting the bribe, the statement said. The accused will be produced before a vigilance court, it added.