Cumbum Agricultural Officer Caught By ACB While Taking ₹20,000 Bribe
ACB officials said searches were being conducted at the officer’s residence and office. Mohammed joined service as an Agricultural Extension Officer in 2009 and was promoted as Mandal Agricultural Officer in 2020.
TIRUPATI: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Ongole, on Friday caught a Mandal Agricultural Officer of Cumbum red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 from a fertiliser dealer.
The accused officer, Sk. Mohammed, was arrested and will be produced before the Special Judge for ACB cases, Nellore.
According to officials, the case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Radharapu Ravindra Kumar, a resident of Turimella village in Cumbum mandal, who has been running a fertiliser, pesticide and seed business since 2022 after obtaining the required licences.
Officials said the complainant used to inform the Mandal Agricultural Officer whenever fresh stock arrived so that samples could be drawn as per rules. In 2025, after procuring new stock and informing the officer, Mohammed allegedly delayed drawing samples until the entire stock was sold. He later demanded ₹20,000 to avoid forwarding an inactive notice to higher authorities, which could have resulted in cancellation of the licence.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the dealer approached the ACB. Acting on the complaint, ACB officials laid a trap and caught Mohammed on Friday while accepting the bribe at the Government Boys’ Hostel in Cumbum. The tainted amount was recovered from his possession.
ACB officials said searches were being conducted at the officer’s residence and office. Mohammed joined service as an Agricultural Extension Officer in 2009 and was promoted as Mandal Agricultural Officer in 2020. He has been serving in Cumbum mandal since June 2025.
