Mancherial, Sept.24 : Officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a Village Administrative Officer (Grama Paripalana Officer – GPO) and his private accomplice red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹80,000 in Peddapeta village of Bheemini mandal. The arrested officer was identified as Durga Prasad, serving as the GPO of Peddapeta Gram Panchayat, alongside his private associate Pothu Rajender.
According to ACB officials, a local resident had submitted an official application seeking the validation of land transfer and the subsequent issuance of a Pattadar Passbook in his name. To process the file and extend official favour, Durga Prasad demanded a total bribe of ₹1.30 lakh. He instructed the applicant to pay ₹80,000 as the first installment and agreed to clear the remaining ₹50,000 upon the successful issuance of the passbook.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the applicant lodged a formal complaint with the ACB Adilabad Range Unit, which subsequently laid a tactical trap near agricultural fields on the outskirts of Peddapeta. Durga Prasad arrived at the designated spot on a motorcycle with Rajender and directed the applicant to hand over the money to his associate. The ACB team immediately intervened, recovered the chemically treated bribe money from Rajender, and took both individuals into custody. Both accused are being produced before the Special Court for SPE and ACB Cases in Karimnagar for judicial remand.
About the Author
