The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths stumbled upon a huge amount of cash at the residence of V Lavanya, the Tahasildar of Keshampet in Ranga Reddy district, after a Village Revenue Officer (VRO) spilled the beans.
The catch is the decade's highest cash stash caught by the ACB from a government office in the combined state and the present day state of Telangana.
The ACB caught the VRO Anantayya red handed on Wednesday when he was taking a bribe from a farmer identified as Mamidipalli Bhaskar of Datttayapalli village.
Anantayya hounded the farmer saying that the latter's 9.07 acre land was not in records.
He demanded Rs 8 lakh— Rs 5 lakh for Anantayya and Rs 3 lakh for the Tahasildar — to set the records right.
The farmer gave an advance of Rs 30,000 but later tipped off the ACB.
After being caught red handed, the VRO revealed that he was directed by Lavanya to take the bribe and that he was only playing his part in the whole episode.
The ACB team immediately reached Lavanya’s Hayatnagar residence here at the outskirts and raided the premises.
To their surprise, they found Rs 93 cash in Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denominations and also 40 tolas of gold.
Lavanya couldn't explain the details of the origin of such a huge amount of cash disproportionate to her income.
Her husband works in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commission (GHMC) office as a superintendent and the ACB is also looking into his role in stashing of the cash.
The VRO is arrested and produced before court.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks