A sub-registrar and his aide were caught red-handed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption sleuths here on Thursday.

It is said that the Vigilance officials caught the sub-registrar, while he was allegedly receiving a sum of ₹3 lakh from the complainant.

The complainant, a practising doctor in Chennai, owned a property in Ramanathapuram district. According to him, he had planned to register 1.98 acres of land in his mother’s name. He had gone to the Sub-Registrar’s office in Vellapattinam and wanted to register the property situated in Kuyavankudi village.

However, it is alleged in the complaint that the Sub-Registrar, who was identified as Ramanathan, had demanded ₹50 lakh as bribe for registering the above document.

Shocked over the kickback demand, the doctor had refused, but finally paid ₹20 lakh.

He paid ₹3 lakh to the sub-registrar’s bank account and on directions of the SR, he had paid ₹17 lakh to a man, whose name was given as Ayub Khan.

However, on May 18, 2026, when he met the Sub-Registrar again, he was asked to pay another ₹25 lakh to register the document. The Sub-Registrar later reduced the amount to ₹15 lakh, asking him to pay ₹3 lakh cash to Ayub Khan and ₹12 lakh to a specific bank account.

The complainant, unwilling to pay the bribe, filed a complaint with the Ramanathapuram Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Department police. The police trapped the Sub-Registrar, Ramanathan, 59, and his aide Ayub Khan, 53, and caught them red-handed on May 21, 2026, while taking ₹3 lakh.

Further investigation was on.

A senior officer in the Directorate, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption said that for complaints related to bribery and corruption, public can contact the DSP at 9498215697; 9498652169 Inspectors at 9498188390 and 9600082798. The officer said that the complaint would be acted upon and the request would be fulfilled legally. Without hesitation, the public can divulge and the information would be confidential, he added.