Andhra Pradesh: Panchayat Secretary Held for Accepting Rs 55,000 Bribe

Nellore: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ongole, on Monday caught Jangala Sampath Kumar, panchayat secretary-cum-development officer (Grade-IV), red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 55,000 at the village secretariat in K. Pallepalem village of Kothapatnam mandal in Prakasam district.

The case was registered under Section 7(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), following a complaint by Jajula Jwala Ram, a small contractor from Reddipalem village. The complainant had executed fencing and compound wall works at graveyards in DT Colony and ST Colony, Kothapatnam village, completing the works by June and December 2025, respectively.

An amount of Rs 4,71,928 was pending towards his bills from the gram panchayat. The accused officer allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 55,000 for processing and forwarding the bills to higher authorities. Unwilling to pay, the contractor approached the ACB.

Acting on the complaint, ACB officials laid an ambush and arrested the officer as he received the bribe at his office on February 9. The tainted cash was seized, and the accused was taken into custody.

The accused will be produced before the special judge for ACB cases, Nellore. Searches are being conducted at his residential and office premises.

Officials said Sampath Kumar joined service in 2018 and has been serving as the in-charge panchayat secretary of Kothapatnam-I village since October 4, 2024.

The ACB urged citizens to report corruption through the toll-free number 1064, the ACB mobile number 94404 40057, or the ACB email ID [email protected]. assuring strict action against corrupt practices.