Andhra Pradesh: 2 govt officials found guilty of accepting Rs 10,000 bribe

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court in Visakhapatnam convicted two government officials for accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 nearly a decade ago.
The court sentenced Pasupureddy Eswara Rao, the former municipal revenue inspector at Vizianagaram municipality, to a maximum of three years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000. Doppalapudi Venkateswara Rao, the then bill collector at Vizianagaram municipality, was sentenced to six months in prison and fined Rs 5,000.
The convictions resulted from an incident in July 2014 when Eswara Rao and Venkateswara Rao demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 10,000, facilitated by K Srinu, a resident of Arakala street in Vizianagaram.The bribe was sought in connection with assessing and determining house tax for a newly constructed residence. Subsequently, both officials were apprehended by the ACB team.
Eswara Rao faced charges under sections 7, 13(1) (d), along with 13(2), of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act 1988, while Venkateswara Rao was charged under section 12 of the PC Act. After nine years, the court found both government officials guilty, relying on compelling prosecution evidence, including tainted currency notes, to reach its decision. Despite the accused's attempts to defend themselves, their claims were proven false by the prosecution.