Two Forest Officials Arrested in Rs 3.5 Lakh Bribery Sting in Telangana

Hyderabad — The Anti-Corruption Bureau's Khammam Range team apprehended two forest department officials on Thursday while they were receiving Rs 3.5 lakh in bribes from a contractor in Bhadrachalam.

The arrested officials are Santhapuri Sujatha, Forest Divisional Officer at Bhadrachalam, and Bhukya Krishna, Deputy Range Officer of Tegada. Krishna additionally served as Forest Range Officer of Charla in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

According to ACB investigators, the officials had sought the payment from the contractor to avoid filing complaints regarding forest tree damage incurred during construction of a 2-kilometre BT road. The road project, which connected Pusuguppa village in Charla mandal to the Chhattisgarh border, was completed in 2025.

The accused had reportedly promised the contractor that they would not create obstacles for either current or future projects, ACB officials stated.

The bribery demand was originally set at Rs 10 lakh but was negotiated down to Rs 3.5 lakh, investigators revealed. The sting operation took place at the Forest Divisional Office in Bhadrachalam, where officers recovered the cash from Bhukya Krishna.

Following the trap, both officials were arrested and presented before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases in Warangal.

The investigation remains active, with the ACB maintaining confidentiality regarding the complainant's identity for protective reasons. The case centres on allegations of improper official conduct connected to forest protection regulations and road development activities in the Charla mandal area.