Hyderabad: In a massive crackdown on corruption, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Thursday arrested a village revenue officer (VRO) who was caught taking a bribe of Rs 3 lakh in Telangana's Keshampet. The officials also recovered Rs 93.5 lakh and 42 'tolas' of gold from the residence of a tehsildar in Hyderabad.
The raids were conducted following a complaint by a farmer named M Bhaskar, who had approached the ACB alleging that the Dattayapally VRO Antaiah had demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh for himself and the tehsildar to update his land record online. After the complaint was filed, raids were conducted at the residence of Keshampet mandal tehsildar Lavanaya.
According to ACB officials, about Rs 93.5 lakh and 42 'tolas' of gold were recovered from her residence in Hayathnagar on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
“After the farmer’s complaint, we set up a trap and caught the VRO red-handed. Rs 93.5 lakh and 40 'tola' of gold was recovered during the raids at the tehsildar's residence,” ACB Deputy Director Ramana Reddy said. “Some important documents related to land deals were also seized and the investigation is underway.”
Meanwhile, an old video of another farmer, in which he is seen falling at Lavanaya's feet, has also gone viral on social media. In the video, Narsulu alleged that he was not being handed over the ‘new pattadhar passbooks’ as per the Land Record Updation Programme undertaken by the Telangana government a few years ago.
A case has been registered at the Ranga Reddy district Anti-Corruption Bureau office. The officer is now under investigation by the ACB branch in Nampally.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has been considering bringing in a new Municipal Act to ensure 'zero corruption’ in departments.
In March, a telephonic conversation between a farmer and the Chief Minister had also gone viral. Rao is said to have personally contacted the farmer and assured him of swift action after the latter posted a video on Facebook alleging that a local revenue official in Mancherial district had deprived him and his family of land.
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