In a targeted operation against local government corruption, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) apprehended a Village Revenue Officer (VRO) in the Anakapalli district on Monday. The official was caught red-handed while allegedly soliciting and accepting a significant bribe to facilitate a routine administrative task.
Caught in the Act: The PBheemavaram Incident
The accused, identified as Sankara Rao, served as the VRO at P. Bheemavaram within the Butchaiahpeta mandal. According to ACB officials, Rao had demanded a payment of ₹1.5 lakh from a local individual in exchange for processing a land mutation request. Land mutation, the process of transferring ownership title in local records, is a critical legal step for property owners but is frequently cited as a point of friction where administrative malpractice occurs.
Acting on a specific tip-off, the ACB set up a trap at a designated location. The operation culminated when the VRO was intercepted precisely as the illicit cash changed hands. Investigators recovered the marked notes from Rao’s possession on the spot, providing the bureau with immediate physical evidence of the transaction.
Legal Proceedings and Property Rights
Following the arrest, the ACB team conducted further inquiries to determine if this was an isolated incident or part of a larger pattern of extortion within the mandal’s revenue department. Corruption in land management remains a sensitive issue in the region, often stalling essential development and legal clarity for residents.
Sankara Rao has been taken into custody and faces charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials confirmed that he is scheduled to be produced before the Special Judge for ACB Cases in Visakhapatnam for further judicial proceedings.
ACB Urges Public Cooperation
Authorities have used this high-profile arrest to remind the public that bribery is a punishable offense for both the giver and the receiver. They encourage citizens to report demands for unlawful payments by government officials directly to the bureau’s dedicated helplines. The crackdown in Anakapalli is seen as a message to other bureaucratic departments that transparency in public service is non-negotiable.
