The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau has caught a Legal Metrology Inspector and a private petrol pump technician in an alleged Rs 20,000 bribery case linked to a petrol bunk in LB Nagar, Hyderabad, according to the agency.
The inspector, identified as K Venkateswarlu of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, allegedly demanded the money from a petrol bunk owner after issuing a verification certificate and for handing over the bunk’s daily sales register, the ACB said. The alleged demand was connected to the release of records held in the course of the inspector’s regulatory work.
According to the ACB, Kasaram Ravinder, a private person working as a petrol pump technician, collected the money on behalf of the inspector at LB Nagar. The agency said Venkateswarlu was allegedly to receive Rs 15,000, while Ravinder was to retain Rs 5,000.
ACB officials recovered the alleged tainted amount of Rs 20,000 from Ravinder at his instance, the agency said. The trap was conducted after the alleged demand for payment was reported to the anti-corruption authorities.
The case places a regulatory transaction at a petrol station at the centre of the investigation. Legal Metrology authorities are responsible for verification and certification relating to measurements and equipment used in commercial transactions. At fuel stations, such regulatory processes form part of the official compliance framework governing operations and consumer-facing sales.
The ACB alleged that Venkateswarlu acted improperly and dishonestly to obtain an undue advantage. The allegation has not been established by a court, and the accused will face due process in the case.
Both Venkateswarlu and Ravinder were being produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases at Nampally for judicial remand, according to the report. The next stage of the case will be determined through proceedings before the court.
