Telangana ACB Busts Bribery Rackets: Project Officers and Engineer Arrested
Telangana ACB arrests two PMKSY 2.0 officials for demanding huge bribes and catches a TGSPDCL engineer red-handed in Hyderabad.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Telangana has cracked down on corruption in the state, executing arrests in two separate bribery cases. In a major operation, two public servants linked to the PMKSY 2.0 Bhagirathipet Project were apprehended for extortion, while an electricity department engineer was caught red-handed in Hyderabad.
The Bhagirathipet Project Scandal
In Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, the ACB arrested Satish Reddy, a Project Officer, and Raju, a Technical Officer, both associated with the PMKSY 2.0 Bhagirathipet Project. The duo is accused of running a systematic bribery racket targeting contractors.
Demanding a 'Cut' for Paperwork
According to the ACB, the officials allegedly demanded illegal gratification ranging from 10 per cent to 25 per cent of bill amounts. The contractor was reportedly threatened that their pending bills would remain unprocessed and no further work would be allotted unless these bribes were paid.
Digital Evidence and Massive Pay-offs
The investigation revealed a staggering scale of corruption. Verification by the ACB indicated that a total of Rs 39,17,000 had already been transferred to various bank and UPI accounts provided by the accused. To back these claims, the complainant provided critical evidence, including:
- Detailed bank statements showing the transfers.
- WhatsApp chat records documenting the demands.
The ACB further noted that Satish Reddy had demanded an additional 25 per cent of the amount related to the seventh bill to facilitate the recording of measurements for further works and the processing of pending payments.
Legal Action
The case was officially registered on October 14, 2026, under Sections 7(a), 7(b), and 13(1)(b), read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018). The Warangal Range of the ACB arrested both suspects on October 22 and produced them before the Special Court for SPE and ACB Cases in Warangal for judicial remand. Investigations are still ongoing.
Engineer Caught Red-Handed in Hyderabad
In a separate strike against corruption, the ACB’s City Range-II caught an Assistant Engineer from the Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) while accepting a bribe.
The accused, identified as Pandala Sandhaya Rakesh, was posted at the Madannapet Section under the Santosh Nagar Sub-Division. He allegedly demanded Rs 1.2 lakh to sanction six new electricity meters to replace old ones that had gone missing.
The ACB officials laid a trap and caught Rakesh red-handed as he accepted the money. The entire bribe amount of Rs 1.2 lakh was recovered from his possession.