The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a government official and a private individual in an alleged bribery case involving the clearance of imported containers in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, according to news reports. The agency has alleged that the official sought ₹1 lakh from a private firm to facilitate the clearance process and was caught accepting the money through an intermediary.
The has arrested an Assistant Director of the Plant Quarantine Station (PQS) in Visakhapatnam and a private individual in an alleged bribery case involving the clearance of imported containers.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Sudhakara TM, Assistant Director and in-charge of the Plant Quarantine Station in Visakhapatnam, and Sunkavalli Satyanarayana, a private individual who allegedly acted as an intermediary in the transaction.
Sudhakara TM was serving as the Assistant Director and in-charge of the Plant Quarantine Station in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
The second accused, Sunkavalli Satyanarayana, is a private individual whom the CBI has alleged acted as an intermediary between the government official and the private firm.
The CBI registered a case on November 6 against two officials of the Plant Quarantine Station, including Sudhakara, three private individuals and other unidentified persons over the alleged demand and acceptance of an undue advantage.
According to the CBI, Sudhakara allegedly demanded ₹1 lakh from a private firm for clearing containers that were awaiting approval from the Plant Quarantine Station.
Following a complaint, the agency conducted a verification exercise and laid a trap on November 6. During the operation, the Assistant Director was allegedly caught accepting the ₹1 lakh bribe through Satyanarayana.
The CBI said the entire bribe amount was recovered during the trap proceedings. Both individuals were subsequently arrested.
Following the arrests, the agency conducted searches at premises linked to the accused in , Faridabad in Haryana and Thimanapalli village in Kolar district.
The investigators are examining documents and other material recovered during the searches as part of the ongoing probe.
The two arrested accused were produced before the competent court in Visakhapatnam on November 7. The CBI is continuing its investigation to establish the role of other individuals named in the case.
