Liquor scam: 7 Andhra police officials booked for graft

The Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau on Sunday arrested seven police officials on charges of receiving illegal gratifications in lieu of official favour to liquor mafia, a senior agency official said.

The arrests were made as part of the ACB's ongoing crackdown to expose liquor syndicate-politicians-officials nexus.

The ACB officials, who have been conducting raids and searches across the state since December last year, have so far registered 25 criminal cases against members of the liquor mafia and also government officials besides arresting liquor traders and even excise officials.

In the latest search of places and after gathering reports and data, the ACB sleuths apprehended seven police officials, including two officers on special duty, one deputy superintendent of police and four circle inspectors on charges of receiving bribes from liquor syndicates as a quid pro quo for allowing various violations, the ACB official said.

Kothagudem OSD (Khammam district) Ram Prasad, Adilabad OSD B Uma Maheshwar, Deputy SP Veereshwar Rao, CIs Ranadheer and Vijaya Sarathi in Warangal district, V Sreedhar Rao in Adilabad Rural and B Gunashekar Babu in Kurnool town have been arrested and are being produced before the Special Judge for ACB cases in Hyderabad for judicial custody.

The arrested accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for collecting bribes from liquor syndicates to overlook the violation of the Andhra Pradesh Excise Act and Rules by the wine shops.

The violations comprise sale of liquor over and above the MRP, loose sale of liquor and opening of liquor shops beyond the prescribed timings, operation of belt shops, sale of non-duty paid liquor among others and thereby making illegal profits while causing loss to the state exchequer.

The ACB in the last week of February had arrested four officials of the excise department on charges of processing files and playing an active role in handing over the control of business of 16 shops to the liquor syndicate led by Nunna Venkata Ramana, who is already under judicial custody.

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