ACB arrests CDPO in Jagtial for taking Rs 63,000 in bribe

Daroju Padma allegedly demanded Rs 1,000 per month from each of the 21 Anganwadi Centres under Metpally Urban Mandal in exchange for not making adverse remarks during inspections. The bribe for three months amounted to Rs 63,000.

Hyderabad: A Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) attached to Metpally in Jagtial district was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while allegedly accepting a Rs 63,000 bribe from an Anganwadi centre representative on Saturday, September 26.

According to the ACB, the officer, Daroju Padma, allegedly demanded Rs 1,000 per month from each of the 21 Anganwadi Centres under Metpally Urban Mandal in exchange for not making adverse remarks during inspections.

The bribe for three months amounted to Rs 63,000, which Padma allegedly accepted directly from the complainant outside her office premises during the trap operation conducted by the ACB Karimnagar unit.

The ACB said the tainted amount was recovered from the officer’s possession. She was arrested and would be produced before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Karimnagar, for judicial remand.

The case is under investigation. The identity of the complainant has been withheld by the ACB for security reasons.