Kakinada: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested the Eleswaram Municipal Commissioner M Satyanarayana and a data entry operator G Arunachalam for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 23,000 on Thursday. The arrest was made following a complaint from a contractor.

According to ACB officials, a contractor, Jondarapu Rajababu of Eeleswaram, has been involved in various civil works for the Eleswaram Nagar Panchayat. He recently completed the construction of a new Urban Primary Health Center. Rajababu was expecting a final bill payment of Rs 7,34,925 for this project. Additionally, he was due to receive an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of Rs. 1,05,000 that had been previously deducted for road contract work.

The accused, Municipal Commissioner M. Satyanarayana, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 23,000 to process and upload both the final bill and the EMD bill on the CFMS portal.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the contractor Rajababu filed a complaint with the ACB authorities in Rajahmundry. Acting on the complaint, the ACB registered a case.

On Thursday, the ACB officials laid a trap and caught Satyanarayana and his data entry operator, Gusidi Arunachalam, red-handed while accepting the bribe money in Lakkavaram Colony. Both were immediately arrested. The two accused are scheduled to be produced before the ACB Special Court in Rajahmundry.

The ACB has urged citizens to report any instances of corruption in state government offices. Complaints can be made to the respective district ACB officials, or by calling the ACB toll-free number 1064, or the mobile number 94404 40057. Information can also be sent via email to [email protected].