Hyderabad: The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday, March 30, arrested a Sub-Inspector of Police from Nagarkurnool district for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe to release seized vehicles linked to a criminal case.

The accused, Chalamalla Hari Prasad Reddy, Sub-Inspector at Thimmajipet Police Station in Nagarkurnool district, had initially demanded Rs 30,000 from a complainant on March 5, according to the ACB. 

He subsequently accepted Rs 20,000 as part payment on March 12 in exchange for releasing vehicles seized in connection with a case registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDARA) and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act (PDPPA) against the complainant’s younger brother.

A case has been registered against Reddy under Section 7(a) (accept, obtain, or attempt to obtain any undue advantage) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the ACB’s Mahabubnagar Range.

The accused has been arrested and produced before the First Additional Special Judge for Special Police Establishment (SPE) and ACB Cases Court in Nampally, Hyderabad. The case is under investigation, the ACB said. The ACB urged members of the public to report bribery demands by government servants on its toll-free helpline 1064.

The bureau can also be reached via WhatsApp at 9440446106 or through its social media handles. The identity of complainants will be kept confidential, it said.