Thiruvananthapuram, September 30, 2025 — A sweeping crackdown under Operation Vanaraksha has revealed large-scale irregularities and corruption within Kerala’s Forest Department, with fraudulent transactions and bribe payments amounting to over ₹1 crore. The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), which carried out surprise inspections across multiple offices, unearthed a trail of financial malpractice, missing records, and substandard project execution.
Crores Transferred Through Contractors and Benami Deals
According to VACB officials, a major share of the corruption was routed through contractors who acted as benami agents of forest officials. Between June and September 2025 alone, the Vallakkadavu Range Officer allegedly received ₹72.8 lakh from a single contractor. WhatsApp chats further revealed that ₹1.36 lakh was transferred to a firm in Edappally on the officer’s instructions.
At the Thekkady Range Office, the same contractor is suspected of funnelling another ₹31.08 lakh into multiple accounts linked to the officer. Smaller but telling transactions were also tracked: in Marayoor, a contractor sent ₹57,500 via UPI to a Range Officer, while in Kanthalloor, ₹2,000 was deposited into the accounts of two officials.
Unaccounted Cash and Missing Project Records
Inspections uncovered unaccounted cash across several locations. ₹11,500 was seized during the primary checks, while separate raids at the Edavanna Range Office in Malappuram yielded ₹8,500, and the Karulai Range Office accounted for another ₹2,900.
Beyond cash seizures, inspectors reported glaring discrepancies in official project records. Contract documents, bills, quotations, fund utilisation reports, and receipts were missing in several offices. VACB noted that M-books, which record construction measurements, contained manipulated entries. In many cases, the actual dimensions of buildings and structures did not match the official records.
Faulty Solar Fencing and Substandard Works
The probe highlighted systemic corruption in infrastructure and conservation works. Several solar fencing projects inaugurated in 2025 were found non-functional. Similarly, irregularities were detected in building works, road tarring and re-tarring, boundary marking, construction of wildlife ponds, and fire line maintenance. VACB stated that contractors, often colluding with officials, pocketed bribes and commissions via online transfers, UPI payments, and bank transactions, compromising the quality of public projects.
Wildlife Compensation Scam
The inspection also exposed corruption in disbursing compensation for victims of wildlife attacks. In multiple cases, payments were made without valid medical documentation. One particularly shocking instance involved compensation for an “injury” that, according to hospital records, actually stemmed from a drunken two-wheeler accident rather than a wildlife encounter.
Vigilance Promises Tough Action
VACB Director Manoj Abraham IPS, who oversaw the statewide raids on September 27, warned that strict action would follow. “Project files from the last five years will undergo detailed scrutiny, and follow-up inspections will continue in the coming days. The probe will extend to the bank account statements of officials, their family members, and contractors,” he said in a statement.
With corruption seeping into everything from forest infrastructure to wildlife protection funds, Operation Vanaraksha has laid bare the depth of the rot within Kerala’s Forest Department. The coming months will determine whether the vigilance machinery can hold the guilty accountable or whether the forest of corruption continues to grow unchecked.
