Visakhapatnam: CBI arrests plant protection officer

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Anti Corruption Wing of CBI, Visakhapatnam, caught a plant protection officer in Vizag and also a representative of M/s Exim Logistics Private Limited while demanding and accepting a bribe.The CBI released a press note in which it said that R.Padam Singh, Plant Protection Officer at Plant Quarantine Station in Visakhapatnam has been demanding and collecting huge amounts of bribes from the CHAs, Fumigators and Shipping Agents for issuing Phytosanitary Certificates for exporting the goods and Consignment Release Orders for imported consignments.The plant protection officer R.Padam Singh demanded illegal gratification from Athi Bulli Reddiyya alias Murali, Regional Manager of M/s Exim Logistics Private Limited in Vizag for clearing of pending applications and for issuing a favorable certificate to Customs for release of import or export consignments of agricultural commodities.CBI cops received information that Athi Bulli Reddiyya would be meeting Padam Singh at his office on Friday to pay a bribe. CBI caught them red-handed and registered a case under section 120-B IPC and Sec.7, 7(a) and 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and caught plant protection officer, R. Padam Singh, while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 6,000 from Athi Bulli Reddiyya.After the registration of the case, searches were conducted at the office and residential premises of accused persons at Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Roorkee, and Uttarakhand, and during the course of searches cash of Rs. 14.86 lakhs and certain incriminating documents were seized. Further searches are under process.Both the accused R. Padam Singh and Athi Bulli Reddiyya have been arrested and will be produced before the court.