Kochi | A Vigilance team caught a tehsildar and two middlemen while allegedly accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe from a person in Kochi, officials said on Friday.

The accused were identified as Kanayannur Land Records Tehsildar Joseph Antony Hurtis (52), a resident of Moolamkuzhi, and middlemen Rajesh N S (49) of Kadavanthra and Joseph Shibyin (44) of Vyttila.

According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, the complainant, a native of Kaloor, had been paying land tax for 1.4 acres in Elamakkara that was registered in his father's name as residential property (purayidam).

However, during the mutation process following his father's death, the Edappally South Village Office informed him that the land was recorded as paddy land (nilam) in the revenue records, officials said.

The complainant had brought soil to the property to level the land for constructing a house.

Subsequently, Shibyin, allegedly acting as a middleman for revenue department officials, filed a complaint at the Edappally South Village Office in June, alleging that the complainant was illegally filling paddy land, officials said.

Following the complaint, Tehsildar Hurtis contacted the complainant and allegedly threatened him, saying it would be extremely difficult to resolve the matter if the complaint was taken on file, the VACB said.

The complainant told the tehsildar that he was willing to remove the soil and pay any fine or other charges.

Hurtis allegedly told him that this was not necessary and asked him to meet Shibyin, who had filed the complaint, to settle the matter, officials said.

He allegedly assured the complainant that he would take care of the land conversion process at the village and taluk levels.

When the complainant subsequently met Shibyin, the latter introduced him to Rajesh.

The two allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh, with Rs 5 lakh meant for Hurtis and other officials at the taluk and village levels and the remaining Rs 5 lakh for themselves, the VACB said.

The middlemen later allegedly assured the complainant that there would be no further issues from the officials if the money was paid.

They called Hurtis and handed the phone to the complainant. The tehsildar allegedly instructed him to pay the Rs 10 lakh demanded by the middlemen.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Ernakulam VACB Deputy Superintendent of Police, following which a trap was laid.

At around 8.30 pm on Thursday, the VACB team caught Rajesh and Shibyin while allegedly accepting the Rs 10 lakh bribe from the complainant.

The amount comprised Rs 2 lakh in cash and Rs 8 lakh through a cheque.

The Vigilance team subsequently caught Hurtis as well, officials said.

The accused will be produced before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court, officials added.