Telangana ACB books suspended official for disproportionate assets

Hyderabad, Oct 22 : Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has unearthed disproportionate assets worth more than Rs 5 crore from a senior official who was earlier suspended for accepting a bribe.

The ACB registered a disproportionate assets case against M. Venkata Bhoopal Reddy, a former Additional Collector (Land and Revenue) of Rangareddy district.

Searches were conducted at his residence and the houses of his relatives, in which movable and immovable properties worth about Rs 5.05 crore were identified, the ACB said.

The anti-graft agency had earlier caught the accused while accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh from a person.

The ACB officials conducted searches at multiple locations, including Reddy's residence and properties owned by close relatives, where both movable and immovable properties were found.

The figures of Rs 5.05 crore are based on documented values, but the actual market worth is believed to be much higher.

The investigations were on to verify the full extent of the assets and their sources.

In August this year, the ACB caught Venkata Bhoopal Reddy and a senior Assistant red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh.

The ACB had trapped and arrested Venkata Bhoopal Reddy and Senior Assistant Y. Madan Mohan Reddy of Rangareddy District Collectorate who colluded and abused their official positions.

The official said they were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe from the complainant for the removal of 14 guntas land from the prohibited list in the Dharani portal.

The ACB officials had said the duo took many precautions to receive the money without getting caught but the ACB teams arrested them.

Meanwhile, the ACB on Tuesday caught Kandikatla Adisheshu, the Municipal Commissioner of Pebbair municipality, Wanaparthy district, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000.

The Municipal Commissioner was taking the bribe to sanction the amount for contract work of painting and laying roads done in 2023.