ACB Arrests Ranga Reddy DMHO and Two Others in Physiotherapy Centre Bribe Case
A special court for ACB cases in Hyderabad on Monday remanded Ranga Reddy District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) Swarnakumari, Health Inspector M Srinivas, and a private driver, Madduri Krishnaiah, to 14 days of judicial custody in a bribery case. The three individuals were apprehended by sleuths of the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) after they allegedly demanded and accepted bribe money to extend official favours regarding a physiotherapy centre.
Before producing the accused before the special court, ACB officials moved them to the agency's office situated in Nampally. Investigators interrogated Swarnakumari at the Nampally premises regarding the transaction and her role in directing subordinates to collect the illicit cash.
According to findings shared by the ACB, Health Inspector Srinivas and the private driver Krishnaiah demanded an amount of Rs. 2 lakh from the complainant. Agency sleuths stated that the demand was made under direct instructions from DMHO Swarnakumari, with the accused subsequently accepting a bribe amount of Rs. 1 lakh as an undue reward for executing official duties.
The ACB revealed that the bribe was solicited in exchange for multiple official favours relating to the complainant's physiotherapy establishment. The accused had previously seized the facility, and the money was demanded to facilitate the return of the keys to the seized premises.
Furthermore, the illicit sum was sought as an undue advantage to ensure that no administrative action would be initiated against the centre for operating without a mandatory DM&HO licence. In addition to halting further action, the officials had agreed to issue a fresh DM&HO licence for the physiotherapy centre in return for the payment.
Following the transaction, ACB officials recovered the accepted bribe amount of Rs. 1 lakh from the possession of the driver, Krishnaiah. The bureau confirmed that the case remains under active investigation, adding that the identity and specific personal details of the complainant have been withheld for security reasons.
