CBI Arrests DGMS Hyderabad Deputy Director and Two Others in Bribery Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested three individuals, including U. Siva Sankar, the Deputy Director (Mining) of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), Hyderabad-III Region, South Central Zone, in connection with an alleged bribery case tied to a fatal mining accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district.

Along with Siva Sankar, the CBI arrested Sidda Venkata Suresh Kumar, a representative of M/s Vasavi Granites based in Chimakurthy in Prakasam district, and A. Subhaskar Reddy, a consultant and proprietor of M/s Lotus Enviro Mining Services (LEMS) in Ongole.

According to the CBI, a case was registered on Monday, August 17, against Siva Sankar, the consultant, representatives of the private mining establishment, and other unidentified public servants and private persons. The case involves allegations regarding the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification.

The investigation stems from a fatal accident that occurred at a mining quarry in Prakasam district on June 25. The CBI alleged that representatives of the mining firm approached the Deputy Director through Subhaskar Reddy to secure a favourable enquiry report concerning the accident that would avoid implicating the owners of the establishment.

The agency stated that the consultant had previously paid Rs 1 lakh to the Deputy Director as an undue advantage to obtain the favourable report. Subsequently, an arrangement was made to hand over an additional Rs 2 lakh to Siva Sankar in Ongole on Monday. This amount was intended both to secure a favourable report in the fatal accident case and to cover alleged quarterly bribe payments connected to the private mining firm and other mines.

CBI officials laid a trap in Ongole and apprehended Siva Sankar while he was allegedly accepting the Rs 2 lakh bribe from the middleman in the presence of the mining establishment representative. The bribe amount was recovered during the operation.

Following the arrests, the central agency carried out searches across multiple locations, including premises belonging to the accused in Hyderabad, Ongole, and Kadapa. The three accused were scheduled to be produced before the competent court in Vijayawada as further investigation continues.