The Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested Abdullapurmet tahsildar B. Sudershan Reddy and mandal surveyor Batuka Srinivasulu on Monday while they were allegedly accepting a ₹20 lakh bribe linked to a survey and joint inspection report for a layout under Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority guidelines.
According to the ACB, the officials had initially demanded ₹23 lakh from the party seeking the survey-related report before allegedly settling for ₹20 lakh. The party later approached the bureau, which registered a case and organised an operation to catch the officials.
The ACB said the bribe money was recovered from Srinivasulu at the tahsildar’s instance. Srinivasulu also tested positive for the chemically marked notes used during the operation, the bureau said.
The case places a land and layout approval process under scrutiny. Surveys and joint inspection reports are part of the administrative documentation used in processing development-related matters under HMDA guidelines. The supplied report does not specify the location, size or proposed use of the layout involved in the case, nor does it state whether any approval had been issued.
The arrests involve two levels of revenue administration in Abdullapurmet: the tahsildar and the mandal surveyor. The ACB has alleged that the payment was sought for conducting the survey and issuing the joint inspection survey report. The bureau did not disclose the identity of the complainant, citing security reasons.
The incident also shows how a routine technical and administrative step can become a point of contact between applicants and local officials. In this case, the ACB’s account links the alleged payment specifically to the preparation of an HMDA-related survey report. The available information does not establish whether the alleged demand affected the final status of the layout or any subsequent development activity.
The ACB said both officials were produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases at Nampally. Their production before the court marks the next formal stage in the case. The allegations remain subject to the legal process, and the supplied report does not include a response from the accused or details of any court order beyond their production.
