Telangana’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday caught three government officials and one TV reporter red-handed in separate bribery cases spanning Nizamabad, Jangaon and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts.
In Nizamabad, N. Srinivasa Sharma, a Senior Assistant at the Panchayat Raj Division in Armoor, was arrested at 4.10 p.m. after accepting a bribe of ₹7,000 to process Fund Transfer Order documents. The complainant, acting under ACB instructions, placed the money on Sharma’s desk. The tainted cash was seized on the spot in Mr. Sharma’s presence.
In Rangareddy district, ACB officials caught Deputy Executive Engineer of Nagaram Municipality, Sudharshanam Raghu, accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh. The trap was laid at 4.50 p.m. on Monday when Mr. Raghu had demanded ₹1.30 lakh from a complainant for clearing bills related to CC road work worth ₹11 lakh. The bribe was routed through two outsourcing work inspectors, V. Rakesh and V. Suresh. All three — Raghu, Rakesh, and Suresh — have been arrested and will be produced before the 1st Additional Special Judge for ACB cases in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, in Jangaon’s Chilpur Mandal, Revenue Inspector Vineet Kumar was caught accepting ₹26,000 to submit a favourable field verification report in a land mutation case. The bribe was stashed on the rear seat of his car and tested positive for chemical traces during the trap operation.
The ACB sleuths on Monday trapped a television news channel reporter identified as Mittapalli Gopi while allegedly receiving ₹1 lakh bribe amount at the ‘instance’ of Manuguru Circle Inspector of Police S. Satish Kumar in Manuguru town of Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
According to ACB sources, Mr. Gopi acted as an intermediary on behalf of Mr. Satish Kumar at his instance and fixed the deal with the complainant for doing an official favour.
As per the instructions of Mr. Satish Kumar, Mr. Gopi demanded ₹4 lakh bribe and accepted a part payment of ₹1 lakh from the complainant for not including his name in a case registered under Sections 318 (4), 329 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 5 of the Telangana State Gaming (Amendment) Act (TSGLA) at Manuguru Police Station.
Both accused have been taken into custody and will be produced before the ACB Special Court in Warangal, ACB sources said.
This is the second ACB trap case in less than a fortnight in the district.
On April 10, the ACB ‘trapped’ Bhadrachalam Inspector of Police B. Ramesh, a police constable Ch. Rama Rao, and a private person in a ‘bribery’ case.
All four individuals were produced before special anti-corruption courts — Sharma in Hyderabad and the others in Warangal. The ACB confirmed that investigations are ongoing.
The agency has appealed to the public to report bribery demands by dialling 1064 or reaching out via WhatsApp (9440446106), Facebook (Telangana ACB), or X (@TelanganaACB). Complainants’ identities, officials assured, would remain strictly confidential.
Published – April 21, 2025 07:49 pm IST
