The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officials were taken by surprise during a search at the residence of Ernakulam Regional Transport Officer (RTO), arrested for accepting a bribe, as they recovered 74 bottles of expensive liquor and cash.

T M Jerson was caught red-handed on Wednesday while demanding Rs 25,000 and a bottle of liquor to renew the permit of a bus plying on Fort Kochi-Chellanam route. However, what shocked investigators even more was the discovery of 74 liquor bottles, including several high-end brands worth lakhs, at his apartment in Edappally here, according to VACB sources.

The searches were carried out on Wednesday and Thursday following his arrest.

On Thursday, the police registered a case against him for possessing liquor beyond the permitted limit, officials said. The Excise Department will also take action, they added.

According to VACB officials, Jerson and two and agents Saji and Ramapadiyar were arrested for demanding and accepting bribe from a private bus operator.

The accused were produced before the Vigilance Court, which remanded them to judicial custody on Thursday.

Sources revealed that bribery was a common practice for processing applications, but in Jerson’s case, a bottle of liquor was also demanded. The Vigilance team suspects that many of the liquor bottles seized from his residence were acquired through such illicit dealings.

The complainant in the case is the manager of a private passenger bus firm whose bus, operating between Chellanam and Fort Kochi, recently had its permit expire, VACB officials said.

After submitting an application at the RTO office for an extension and requesting a transfer of the route permit to another bus owned by the same firm, the permit was provisionally extended until February 6. However, despite multiple follow-ups, a permanent extension was not granted after the due date, they added.

Last month, Ramapadiyar, an agent closely associated with Jerson, approached the complainant, assuring that the permit could be extended in exchange for a Rs 25,000 bribe. The complainant was asked to pay Rs 5,000 upfront and provide a bottle of liquor to another agent, Saji.

Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance team set a trap and arrested Saji and Ramapadiyar while they were accepting the bribe in front of the RTO office. During questioning, both admitted that they were collecting the money on Jerson’s instructions.

Meanwhile, a probe into his assets has revealed wealth disproportionate to his known income.

Officials are now examining documents related to properties he is suspected of owning across the state, sources said.

A senior VACB official said that an assessment of the MVD officer’s amassed wealth is underway, and the involvement of other MVD officers is also being investigated.