The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested two officials associated with the PMKSY 2.0 Bhagirathipet Project in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district for allegedly demanding bribes from a contractor to process bills and allot further work, according to an ACB statement.
The accused have been identified as Satish Reddy, Project Officer, and Raju, Technical Officer, associated with the project. The ACB’s Warangal Range arrested them on October 22 and is producing them before the Special Court for SPE and ACB Cases in Warangal for judicial remand.
The case was registered on October 14 under Sections 7(a), 7(b) and 13(1)(b), read with Section 13(2), of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018. The provisions relate to alleged public-servant misconduct and the demand or acceptance of illegal gratification. The charges remain allegations at this stage.
According to the complaint cited by the ACB, the officials allegedly demanded between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of bill amounts from the contractor. The complainant alleged that the officials threatened to withhold pending bill processing and deny the allotment of further work unless the demanded amounts were paid.
The ACB said its complaint verification indicated that a total of Rs 39,17,000 was transferred to various bank accounts and UPI accounts allegedly communicated by the accused. The complainant also provided bank statements and WhatsApp chat records in support of the allegations.
The alleged demands were connected to the processing of contractor payments and the continuation of project work. Such administrative steps are central to the delivery of publicly funded infrastructure because contractors depend on measurement records, bill approvals and work allotments to receive payment and continue implementation. The ACB’s account places those processes at the centre of the case.
The bureau further alleged that Satish Reddy demanded an additional 25 per cent of the amount relating to the project’s seventh bill. The demand was allegedly connected to recording measurements for further works and processing pending bills.
The arrests come as the ACB investigates allegations involving project-level officials rather than announcing any finding against the irrigation project itself. The available statement does not indicate whether work on the Bhagirathipet Project has been halted or whether the department has appointed alternative officials to handle pending bills and measurements.
The ACB said further investigation is in progress. The two officials will be subject to judicial proceedings, while the allegations and the evidence cited by investigators will be examined through the legal process.
