HYDERABAD: In a major catch, sleuths of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday caught red-handed, Keesara tahsildar Erva Balaraju Nagaraju while accepting over Rs 1.10 crore in cash as a bribe in return for a favour to a real estate dealer.
According to ACB officials, Nagaraju, 47, had sought the bribe by promising to settle the matter of a dispute over 28 acres of land situated at Rampally Dayara in Keesara mandal in Medchal-Malkajgiri district .
ACB officials have also detained the real estate dealer Chowla Srinath, 50, Kandadi Anji Reddy, 40, who acted as a middleman and another person. They found the cash and the accused persons in a house in AS Rao Nagar when they raided it following a tip-off.
The tahsildar had sought Rs 2 crore bribe to issue the pattadar passbook for the disputed 28-acres land parcel. He made this promise after a few farmers obtained an order from the High Court in their favour. The tahsildar told the real estate developer that he would doctor the documents, issue pattadar passbook and see that they would get an order from the court in their favour.
The ACB sleuths counted the cash found in the house with the help of counting machines. The searches were continuing at the time of going to the press.