The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has recorded a historic high of 57 trap cases in 2025, leading to the arrest of 76 individuals, including public servants and intermediaries.
The agency recorded its most intensive anti-corruption performance to date last year, as it registered a sharp rise in trap cases, arrests, investigations, and convictions. The bureau had recorded 40 trap cases in 2024.
The Revenue department topped the list with 20 cases, followed by the Local Self-Government department with 12, according to official statistics.
Trap cases were also reported in the General Education department and the Kerala State Electricity Board.
The VACB also recorded a significant shift in the scale of bribery. Several cases involving amounts running into lakhs of rupees were reported. The trend was in sharp contrast to earlier years when bribes typically ranged between ₹500 and ₹1,000.
In 2025, the agency seized nearly ₹15 lakh as bribe money, including cases involving digital transactions through platforms such as Google Pay.
In addition to trap cases, the bureau registered 201 Vigilance cases, initiated 57 full-scale investigations, 300 preliminary inquiries, and 136 confidential probes. Based on intelligence inputs, the VACB conducted 1,152 surprise inspections in government offices to detect and prevent corruption and irregularities. Of the 9,193 complaints received during the year, action was taken on all relevant cases, the agency informed.
The year also witnessed notable judicial outcomes, with 39 accused being convicted in 30 cases. Besides, 12 people, who had evaded imprisonment despite confirmed convictions by higher courts, were traced, arrested, and jailed.
As part of Statewide enforcement drives, the VACB also carried out coordinated inspections under various operations targeting land acquisition irregularities, illegal land conversion, excise violations, unauthorised liquor sales, transport department malpractices, forest offences, and education-sector irregularities.
According to official sources, an internal Vigilance mechanism was implemented across all government departments in 2025. The initiative made Kerala one of the few States with a structured reporting system for departmental anti-corruption oversight.
Published – January 01, 2026 07:46 pm IST
