A bribe drop-box invented by corrupt officers in Miyapur has exposed the deep-rooted corruption within the police force. The recent bust of the bribery scheme was remarkable for several reasons. First, the police officers came up with an innovative method of receiving bribes by having the complainant drop the money in a parked vehicle behind the police station. Second, the main suspect was issued a notice instead of being arrested, which is a rare occurrence in trap cases, according to experienced investigators.
On April 25, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Miyapur head constable D Venkat Reddy for allegedly accepting a 30,000 rupee bribe from a complainant on the premises of the police station. It was reported that he did so under the instructions of sub-inspector (SI) P Yadagiri Rao. Reddy was taken to court and remanded in custody.
During the investigation, several interesting facts emerged. The authorities recorded evidence of both the SI and the head constable demanding bribes from the complainant on multiple occasions between April 21 and 25.
Additionally, CCTV footage captured the head constable, Venkat Reddy, picking up the bribe money that had been dropped behind the passenger seat of a parked auto rickshaw outside the police station building.
While the ACB had labeled the SI as the primary accused in the case, they only arrested the head constable, who had allegedly accepted the bribe on behalf of Yadagiri Rao. The SI was served a notice under Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), requiring him to appear before the investigating officer since he was not apprehended in the act. Bureau officials consider this a rare instance where someone accused in a trap case is only served a notice instead of being arrested.
When contacted, an ACB official explained that the SI was not arrested or brought before the court because he was not caught in the act. However, in the past, the bureau has arrested several police officers who accepted bribes through junior colleagues or intermediaries, even without being caught red-handed.
