A Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) bill collector, Madaka Narsimha Reddy, was arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau of Telangana for amassing illegal assets worth Rs. 6 crore. His house was raided in the city on Friday.
Deccan Chronicle reports that Narsimha Reddy works as a bill collector in GHMC in taxation section of Abids area. The ACB raided his house at Sathavahana Nagar in Kukatpally early morning. They seized several documents pertaining to 35 acres of farm land in Nangunur village and one-acre land in Cheryal.
They also seized two kg gold ornaments worth Rs. 56 lakh, silverware of 3.7 kg, two bikes, a car, two tractor, insurance policies worth Rs. 34 lakh out of which 10 lakh already has been paid. They also found a bank balance of Rs. 16 lakh.
The official locked himself inside the bathroom when the ACB arrived at his residence and threatened to commit suicide if the officers don’t leave. But he later stepped out after persuasion by his family members.
His salary is estimated to be around Rs. 30,000, but illegal earning might go up to Rs. 3.45 lakhs per month. The ACB have been receiving complaint against the bill collector for six months, according to reports.
ACB officer Ravi Kumar said that most complaints say that the bill collector would collude with owners and register buildings as residential property even if they were commercial. “The property tax of residential is less and the cut goes into the pocket of the collector,” he said.