The Jubilee hills inspector Balvantaiah who was absconding after being named as the main accused in a bribery case, surrendered before the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday.
Balvantaiah had left his bandobast duties on Thursday noon and had been unreachable since. After surrendering, the now-suspended official told the ACB that he left his duty to attend to his wife who was ill.
It was on Thursday noon that the ACB team had arrested the Jubliee Hills Sub-Inspector, P Sudheer Reddy after nabbing him red-handed while accepting Rs 50,000 and two VAT 69 whiskey bottles as a bribe. The ACB tapped the officer based on a complaint by M Vamsi Krishna Chowdary.
While questioning, the SI told the ACB that he was accepting the bribe on the instructions of his superior, the Inspector of Jubliee Hills Police Station, Balvantaiah. The ACB then made the SI call up the inspector who was at bandobast duty in Krishnakant park at the time.
Balvantaiah cut Sudheer's phone call only to call him back over WhatsApp. Sudheer then explained to the inspector that Vamsi, had given Rs 50,000 and two bottles of whiskey. The inspector reminded the SI that the agreed bribe amount was Rs 1 lakh. The inspector went on to tell the SI to accept the bribe amount and even enquire about another case involving a woman. The ACB officials were listening to the call and recorded the conversation between the Inspector and the SI in the presence of the complainant, reported ToI.
While the SI was arrested at Jubliee Hills police station, Balvantaiah who got wind of Sudheer’s arrest, changed into civilian clothes and left Krishnakant park in an auto rickshaw. He was unresponsive on all his four phones. The door to his residence at Vanasthalipuram was also found locked after which the ACB launched a manhunt for Balvantaiah. The missing SHO surrendered at the ACB head office at Banjara Hills on Friday noon.
Balvantaiah claimed that he had forgotten his phones, tablet and even his wallet inside the office vehicle, however, the ACB never found these items in the office vehicle. The inspector, who has since been suspended by the Hyderabad City police commissioner Anjani Kumar, was tight-lipped about accepting the bribe and directing the SI to accept a bribe on his behalf.