ACB to develop network of informants to check corruption in A.P.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will expand its network of informants to identify corrupt staff and officers in each department, its Director-General Atul Singh has said..

In 2026, the ACB will focus on strengthening the department, developing a network of informants and ensuring speedy trials of cases, he said while sharing the performance report of the ACB with the media on Friday.

The investigation officers registered 115 cases, including 69 traps, eight disproportionate asset cases, seven criminal misconduct cases, 19 regular enquiries and 12 surprise checks in 2025, he said.

Public are requested to alert ACB officers about corruption by dialling the toll-free number 1064 or 9440440057, send emails at acb@ap.gov.in, the ACB DG said.

“We have booked 19 trap cases pertaining to land revenue, five cases Municipal Administration and Urban Development, four each in Home and Finance Departments, three on survey settlements and land records and the remaining trap cases in other departments,” the DG said.

Disproportionate asset cases were registered against officers working in energy, health, medical and family welfare, labour, employment, training and factories, municipal administration, panchayat raj, revenue and tribal welfare departments.

Referring to major trap cases in 2025, he said the ACB officers trapped Tribal Welfare Engineer-in-Chief, S. Srinivas Rao, while allegedly taking ₹25 lakh as bribe, Kalyandurg in-charge Sub-Registrar A. Narayana Swamy for allegedly taking ₹5 lakh, Palasa Legal Metrology Inspector T. Sridhar for taking ₹1.78 lakh as bribe, Repalle Forest Range Officer V.V. Ramana Rao while accepting ₹1.25 lakh and Kakinada district Registrar K. Ananda Rao, while allegedly taking ₹1 lakh as bribe.

“After completing the trial, the ACB Special Courts convicted 36 accused (46% conviction) and six cases were abated (accused expired),” Mr. Atul Singh said.

The ACB Special Courts awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) each to Anantapur A.P. Cooperative Housing Societies Federation Limited Registrar R. Subbaiah and Kurnool Mahila Police Sub-Inspector B. Peddaiah, and three years RI to Kurnool Regional Training Centre, Principal, D. Meenakshee Madhav, the DGP said.

“The ACB is planning to allot areas to Range Officers to identify the corrupt officers in each department across the State. We have an internal vigilance system in ACB to prevent leakages of information on raids and traps,” Mr. Atul Singh explained.

Director R. Jayalakshmi, Joint Directors E.G. Ashok Kumar, A. Suresh Babu, Rajashekar Rao, E. Supraja and Rajini and Chief Legal Advisor P.V. Rambabu and other officers were present.