Hyderabad: The Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested two health officials and a private driver in an ACB bribe case in Ranga Reddy district. The arrests followed an alleged Rs.1 lakh bribe transaction linked to a physiotherapy centre.
The accused are Mrs. Swarna Kumari, DM&HO, Ranga Reddy district, M Srinivas, Health Inspector, and private driver Madduri Krishnaiah. The three accused are associated with the office of the District Medical and Health Officer in Ranga Reddy.
According to the ACB, the accused allegedly demanded Rs.2 lakh from the complainant. The demand was linked to returning the keys of a seized physiotherapy centre and avoiding further action against it.
The agency said the centre was allegedly operating without a DM&HO licence. The accused also allegedly sought the money as an undue advantage for issuing a new DM&HO licence to the centre.
As part of the ACB operation, Krishnaiah allegedly accepted Rs.1 lakh from the complainant. The agency later recovered the alleged bribe amount from his possession at his instance.
The ACB alleged that the two officials improperly and dishonestly performed their official duties. It said the accused sought an undue advantage through the alleged transaction.
The agency has withheld the complainant’s identity for security reasons. Meanwhile, the investigation into the alleged transaction is continuing.
ACB bribe case moves to judicial remand
The three accused are being produced before the I Additional Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases at Nampally. They are being produced for judicial remand following their arrest.
The ACB identified Swarna Kumari as A1 and M Srinivas as A2 in the case. Krishnaiah, identified as A3, was working as the private driver of A2.
According to the agency, the alleged transaction concerned the seized physiotherapy centre and its licensing status. The case also involves the allegation that money was sought to avoid further official action against the centre.
The ACB said the alleged bribe amount of Rs.1 lakh was recovered from Krishnaiah. The agency has continued its investigation into the allegations against all three accused.
The arrests followed the alleged demand for Rs.2 lakh from the complainant. The ACB said the demand covered both the return of the centre’s keys and the proposed issuance of a new DM&HO licence.