What prompted ACB sleuths to conduct recent raids?

Vijayawada: It is pathetic to learn that some district-level officers paid huge amounts to fake ACB officials on receiving threatening calls. It shows that they admitted themselves as corrupt officers.

In view of these incidents, the officers of Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted surprise checks on the offices of the public servants who paid the amount to the fake ACB officials across the State and noticed several irregularities.

The ACB officials have reportedly decided to send the reports to the government for taking necessary action on the irregularities noticed.

The details of the surprise checks on the offices of the public servants who paid the amounts to the fake ACB officials brought more surprises.

GR Guptha, Panchayat Raj engineer at Srikakulam, admitted that he received a phone call in the third week of November, 2019 from the ACB officials and on their threatening he deposited an amount Rs 50,000 to them on November 27, 2019 through CDM.

Siva Sankar Reddy, Joint Chief Inspector of Factories at Visakhapatnam, admitted that he paid Rs 5 lakh to the fake ACB officials.

R Prabhakara Rao, Deputy Collector at Eluru is the EO of Dwaraka Tirumala Devasthanam, Dwaraka Tirumala. While he was working as Spl. Dy. Collector, Koneru Rangarao Committee, West Godavari District, he received phone calls from ACB officials from Vijayawada who demanded money to settle matter. On their instructions he remitted 1.97 lakh in the SBI account of one Mohan.

Venkateswara Rao, EE, RWS at Gudivada, admitted that during the second week of December, 2019, he received a phone call referring as DSP, ACB demanding amount to clear off his file which was enquired against him. On demand he deposited Rs 3.5 lakh through CDM on December 8, 2019.

K Ramachandra Rao, Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) at Markapuram revealed the fake ACB phone call and the payment he made during December, 2019. He received phone calls demanding amount to clear off his file which was enquired against him. An amount of Rs 4.94 lakh was deposited in two accounts of his friend to the so called fake ACB officer.

P Umadevi, RDO at Atmakur, admitted that she deposited Rs 25,000 through SBI deposit machine.

Y Venkata Durga Prasad, Asst EO, in the office of the Deputy Commissioner, GST State Tax at Nellore admitted to have deposited Rs. 30,000 in two spells in July, 2019.

T Raghavarao, MVI at Gudur admitted that he gave Rs 2 lakh through Net-banking to fake ACB persons.

G Chandrasekhar, EE of the R&B at Chittoor, disclosed that on July 21, 2019 while he was at home in Kadapa he received a phone call from one Srinadh Reddy claimed to be Inspector of ACB demanding Rs 2 Lakh to clear off his file which was being enquired against him. He deposited Rs 49,000 through CDM and Rs 1.51 lakh from his SBI account.

Ch Krishna Murthy, Dy SE, Irrigation circle at Kadapa, said that while he was working as Executive Engineer at Chittoor, he received a phone call from one Srinadh Reddy who demanded amount to clear off his file. He deposited Rs 50,000 on August 14, 2019 through CDM and Rs One Lakh through NEFT on August 16, 2019.