ACB Raids Sub-Registrar Offices Across Andhra Pradesh Over Corruption Allegations

VIJAYAWADA\NELLORE\TIRUPATI: The Anti-Corruption Bureau raided sub-registrar offices across Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday following complaints of massive irregularities and corruption in property registrations.

ACB said unaccounted amounts were found at Bhogapuram, Jagadamba Centre, Ibrahimpatnam, Ongole, Nellore and Narasaraopet sub-registrar offices, ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 75,000 at each of these offices. “The source and ownership of the amounts is under verification.”

The coordinated operation mainly covered districts such as NTR, Konaseema, Eluru, Prakasam, Visakhapatnam Nellore, Sri Sathya Sai and Annamayya. The raids created a flutter in revenue department circles.

In Prakasam district, surprise checks were done at the Ongole sub-registrar office. The swoop-down panicked the employees, with a few of them throwing away bundles of cash they collected as bribe money during the day. About Rs 30,000 in unaccounted money was seized on the spot, ACB sources said.

Officers examined file records, computer data and property transaction details to verify irregularities. The operation was supervised by the Ongole rural ACB Circle. It also confiscated several documents.

At the Stone Housepet sub-registrar office in Nellore district, ACB locked the premises while verifying the registration records and documents. Stamp writers and middlemen who take money on behalf of the corrupt staff fled the area as soon as the ACB entered the office.

Though the sub-registrar and senior assistants were found to be “on leave” for the day, most complaints of corruption had been reportedly directed at them.

ACB teams raided the Renigunta sub-registrar office in Tirupati district following complaints of irregularities in property registrations and fee collections. The sleuths examined whether properties falling under Section 22-A, including government and assigned lands, were illegally registered.

Preliminary estimates indicated that over Rs 35 crore might have been collected by officials as bribe money in the last four months through unauthorised transactions. In this, the role of in-charge sub-registrar K Anand Reddy, who had been suspended on corruption charges but was later reinstated, is under scrutiny.

ACB said it conducted simultaneous checks at 12 sub registrar offices on Wednesday -- at the Jagadamba Centre, Pedagantyada and Madhurawada of Visakhapatnam, Bhogapuram of Vizianagaram, Ibrahimpatnam of NTR, Narasaraopeta of Palnadu, Ongole of Prakasam, stone house pet of Nellore, Renigunta of Chittoor, Rajampeta of Kadapa, Chilamattoor of Ananthapur, Allagadda of Kurnool districts.

The ACB said various records, documents relating to anywhere registration, violations in registration, documents kept pending for registration, registered documents not issued to the parties, registration of prohibited properties, non-judicial stamp papers sales registers and relevant records maintained in various sub registrar offices “are being verified thoroughly.” The searches would continue.