The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) recorded an all-time high of 57 entrapment cases in 2025, leading to the arrest of 76 people, including government employees and middlemen.
The agency saw its most intense anti-corruption activity yet last year, seeing a sharp increase in entrapment cases, arrests, investigations and convictions. In 2024, the authority recorded 40 cases of traps.
The finance department topped the list with 20 cases, followed by the local government department with 12, according to official statistics.
Cases of traps were also reported in the General Education Department and the Kerala State Electricity Board.
The VACB also noted a significant shift in the extent of bribery. Several cases involving sums in the order of crores of rupees have been reported. This trend was in stark contrast to earlier years when bribes were usually between ₹500 and ₹1,000.
In 2025, the agency seized nearly ₹15 crore in bribes, including cases involving digital transactions through platforms such as Google Pay.
Apart from entrapment cases, the authority has registered 201 Vigilance cases, initiated 57 large-scale investigations, 300 preliminary investigations and 136 confidential investigations. Acting on intelligence, the VACB conducted 1,152 unannounced inspections of government offices to detect and prevent corruption and irregularities. Of the 9,193 complaints received during the year, action was taken in all relevant cases, the agency reported.
The year also saw remarkable judicial results, with 39 accused convicted in 30 cases. In addition, 12 people were tracked down, arrested and jailed, having avoided imprisonment despite convictions upheld by higher courts.
As part of nationwide enforcement actions, the VACB also conducted coordinated inspections in various operations targeting land acquisition irregularities, illegal land conversion, excise duty violations, unauthorized sale of liquor, traffic department malfeasance, forest offenses and education irregularities.
According to official sources, an internal Vigilance mechanism across all ministries was implemented in 2025. This initiative has made Kerala one of the few states with a structured reporting system for departmental anti-corruption oversight.
Published – 1 Jan 2026 19:46 IST
