Grama Paripalana Officer Held For Accepting Bribe In Kothagudem
- ACB arrests GPO Banavath Srinivas Naik for accepting ₹15,000 bribe
- Officer trapped in Mulkalapalli mandal while taking money for land registration
A Grama Paripalana Officer (GPO) in Bhadradri Kothagudem district was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday while accepting a bribe. The officer, Banavath Srinivas Naik, was nabbed at the Tahsildar office in Mulkalapalli mandal while taking ₹15,000 from a complainant.
According to ACB officials, Srinivas Naik, posted as GPO of the Pusugudem revenue cluster, had demanded ₹60,000 for registering and issuing a pattadar passbook for 2.30 acres of agricultural land located in survey number 254/AA of Vemukunta village.
The complainant had already paid ₹30,000 via PhonePe and ₹10,000 in cash earlier. When the officer insisted on receiving the remaining ₹20,000, he finally agreed to accept ₹15,000. Acting on the complaint, ACB officials organized a trap and caught him while taking the bribe.
ACB Khammam Range DSP Y. Ramesh stated that Srinivas Naik is believed to have demanded the bribe on behalf of higher officials. He added that an inquiry is underway to determine the potential involvement of other staff members. The accused will be presented before the Special Judge for ACB and SPE cases in Warangal.
The arrest has drawn attention to the revived Grama Paripalana Officer system. The previous state government had abolished the system of Village Revenue Officers (VROs) and Village Revenue Assistants (VRAs) due to widespread corruption allegations.
However, the Congress government led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy recently reinstated these posts as GPOs. The CM issued appointment letters to the newly designated officers in September.
Monday’s ACB operation marks the first instance in Telangana where a GPO has been caught red-handed accepting a bribe since the revival of the system. The case is expected to spark further scrutiny of the functioning and accountability of revenue officials at the village level.
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