Forest Officer Trapped by ACB While Accepting ₹4 Lakh Bribe in West Godavari

KAKINADA: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Tuesday caught a forest section officer red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹4 lakh in West Godavari district.

The accused was identified as Sadu Suresh Kumar, forest section officer posted at Narsapuram and holding additional charge of Bhimavaram. He was caught while accepting the bribe from complainant B. Dhanunjaya Appa Rao, a resident of Pennada village in Palakoderu mandal.

According to ACB officials, the complainant runs a sawmill in his wife’s name. A farmer from K.P. Palem village in Mogalturu mandal had brought a teakwood log grown in his field to the sawmill for cutting. While the wood was being transported back, forest officials intercepted the vehicle and seized the timber.

Following this, forest officials reportedly visited the sawmill and stopped its operations, alleging that the teakwood had been cut without prior permission from the forest department. The accused officer allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹5 lakh to resolve the issue, which was later reduced to ₹4 lakh.

The complainant approached the ACB, which laid a trap and caught the officer while accepting the bribe. The accused was arrested, and searches are continuing at his office and residential premises.

ACB officials said the accused would be produced before the ACB court at Rajamahendravaram. They added that Suresh Kumar joined the forest department as an office subordinate in 2005, was promoted as a typist in 2011 and became a section officer in 2016. He had earlier served at Eluru, Kannapuram, Chintalapudi and Narsapuram.