Kerala: Physiotherapist Hid Rs 500 Bribe Inside Book for ‘Better’ Care, Caught Red-Handed!

A physiotherapist in Alappuzha has been arrested for taking bribes. Rajaneesh, who works at the Nooranad Leprosy Sanatorium, was caught in a trap set by the Vigilance department. He used to demand money from patients for providing treatment.

Charumoodu (Alappuzha): The Vigilance department has arrested a physiotherapist here for taking bribes from patients. The accused, 53-year-old Rajaneesh, is a resident of Kayamkulam Cheravally and works on contract with the National Health Mission (NHM) at the Nooranad Leprosy Sanatorium. The Vigilance team caught him red-handed at the hospital today. The action was part of 'Operation Project Zero', a special drive directed by Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham and Kottayam Vigilance SP R Binu. 

The department had been receiving complaints that Rajaneesh was demanding money from people coming for physiotherapy. His modus operandi was simple: patients were told to place a ₹500 note inside their treatment record book to receive 'better' care. Officials said that some patients even acted as middlemen for him. To catch him, the Vigilance team laid a trap. A complainant gave him ₹1,000, which the officials later recovered from him. Apart from the marked notes used in the trap, the team also found around ₹10,000 more on his person. The inspection was carried out by a team led by Alappuzha Vigilance SP K V Benny, and included CIs Shaiju Ibrahim, Prashanth Kumar, Nizamudeen, and Jimston.