Divisional panchayat officer caught taking bribe

Eluru: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials caught the divisional panchayat officer (DPO) and a senior assistant red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 45,500 from a contract employee at divisional panchayat office in Narsapur on Monday.

ACB DSP P Gopalakrishna told the media at Narsapur that DPO G Sriramulu had demanded Rs 1,500 each from the 35 outsourcing employees of China Amiram village in Bhimavaram mandal for renewal of their services.

A contract employee K Narasimha Murthy approached the ACB and lodged a complaint against the DPO. The contract employees agreed to pay Rs 1,300 each and were ready to give Rs 45,500 to the DPO.

While the DPO was accepting the bribe from the contract employees at his office, ACB personnel raided the office and seized the money. They also took Sriramulu and senior assistant P Srinivas who was also part of the transaction.

They recorded the statements of the two accused. The ACB DSP said that the duo would be sent to ACB court in Vijayawada. DPO Sriramulu attended Mee Kosam programme at the sub-collector office earlier in the day before caught at his office at about 2 pm. Sriramulu will retire in a few days, according to information.