The Village Administrative Officer (VAO) of Madhuvarayapuram in Coimbatore district who was pursued by a DVAC team on Friday after he received bribe from an applicant for legal heir certificate reportedly jumped into the Perur lake in a bid to erase evidence of his possession of chemical-laced currency. He was eventually arrested.

The VAO Vetrivel (35) had demanded ₹5,000 from Krishnasamy, a farmer of Alandurai. The latter had lodged a complaint with the DVAC and a trap was laid with chemical-laced currency.

On knowing that the DVAC team was in pursuit, the VAO, who had taken the money from the applicant, sped on his two-wheeler to a distance and took a plunge into the Perur lake, after flinging the currency notes into the water.

The DVAC team managed to retrieve a few currency notes and questioned the VAO at the office of Perur Tahsildar, before effecting his arrest.