The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials caught two senior employees of the electricity department in Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts, after they conducted raids and unearthed alleged disproportionate assets worth several crores of rupees from one of them on Friday. While one Assistant Engineer of the AP TRANSCO was caught red-handed taking a bribe from a farmer, the other accused had a history of taking bribes He was earlier caught accepting a bribe by the ACB and was convicted and dismissed from service in November 2003.

In the first case, a farmer from Bondapalli mandal in Vizianagaram district who was in need of an electricity connection for his farm had approached Assistant Engineer Dasari Muralimohana Rao for the same. It is alleged that the AE had demanded money for the connection. The farmer called the ACB Toll free number 14400 and approached the ACB. During a mock meeting on Friday morning, the ACB officials caught the AP TRANSCO AE red-handed when he was taking Rs 10,000 as bribe from the farmer for the electricty connection.

ACB unearths assets worth crores from AE In Visakhapatnam

In another case, the ACB sleuths conducted searches on an Assistant Engineer (AE) of Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company (APEPDCL) and unearthed alleged disproportionate assets worth several crores of rupees in Visakhapatnam.

The alleged tainted official Madem Nageswara Rao who was working in the Kommadi section in the district, was earlier caught by the ACB for taking a bribe and dismissed from service According to an official release by the ACB, searches were conducted at 12 places belonging to the AE's family members and relatives on Thursday.

The searches were conducted at the residence of the officer and also at Visalakshi Nagar, MVP Colony, Madhurawada and Rambilli. The AE and his family members were in possession of two houses, three flats, two cars and fixed deposits worth approximately Rs 1.11 crore and other assets, the release said. Apart from this Nageswara Rao has assets disproportionate to his known sources of income worth Rs 3.88 crore in a case that is under investigation, as per an official release . He will be arrested and produced before the special court for ACB cases in Visakhapatnam.