The Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana seized Rs 93.5 lakh in cash and 420 grams of gold from the residence of a tehsildar on Wednesday and booked a Village Revenue for allegedly demanding Rs 8 lakh bribe. The police conducted the raids based on tip-offs.
On Wednesday, the ACB arrested M Antaiah, the Kondurgu Village Revenue Officer under Rangareddy district for seeking bribe worth Rs 8 lakh from a farmer identified as M Bhaskar. The ACB laid a trap for the VRO and nabbed him while accepting Rs 4 lakh bribe money.
"The complainant had 12 acres of land but within one day, nine acres of that land disappeared from the records. When the complainant went again to protest, the VRO allegedly demanded a bribe to reinstate the land. So he filed a complaint with us and we set up a trap," said S Suryanarayana Deputy Superintendent of Police (Ranga Reddy district range), ACB speaking to media.
The police registered a case and took Antaiah into custody but upon interrogation realised he had help from the tehsildar to tamper the online records.
In the raid that took place on Wednesday, the ACB took into custody V Lavanya, the tehsildar of Keshampet mandal, Rangareddy, and recovered Rs 93.5 lakh in cash and 420 grams of gold from her residence at Hayathnagar in Hyderabad. The Rs 8 lakh was to be split – Rs 5 lakh for the VRO and Rs 3 lakh for the tehsildar, reported India Today.
The ACB is still investigating her role in the case.
Last year the ACB had raided and found Rs 3 crore worth disproportionate assets from Vaidya Vara Prasad, the Fourteenth Additional District Judge of Ranga Reddy district. The ACB said that raids were conducted at multiple residences in Hyderabad, including one in Kondapur and three places in Telangana’s Sircilla district, besides two places in Maharashtra, where the judge had earlier served.
Those who wish to report corruption within the Telangana government departments may dial 1064 or go the ACB website.