ACB catches treasury accountant accepting bribe in Narsipatnam

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday caught Narsipatnam Sub-Treasury Office accountant Vijay Bhaskar while allegedly accepting a bribe.

The ACB laid a trap at the office around 10.30 a.m. following a complaint that Mr. Bhaskar had demanded money to process a financial benefit. He arrived nearly an hour later and was allegedly caught accepting the bribe.

The incident has drawn attention to allegations of bribery in the processing of post-retirement benefits at the office. Retired government employees receive gratuity, commuted value of pension (CVP), leave encashment and General Provident Fund (GPF), with the total benefits often ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh, depending on their length of service.

Some retired employees have alleged that Sub-Treasury staff demand bribes to process and release these benefits. Employees of other government departments have also alleged delays in clearing car, contingency and arrears bills, claiming that the delays are intended to extract higher bribes.

The post of Sub-Treasury Officer (STO) is vacant, while the Assistant Treasury Officer (ATO) was on leave on Friday. The ACB is examining whether other employees were involved in the alleged bribery.

ACB DSP Ramanamurthy urged people to report any demand for a bribe on the ACB helpline, 1064. He assured complainants that their identities would be kept confidential.

The ACB has registered 11 cases in the State so far this year, Mr. Ramanamurthy said. He added that the erstwhile Visakhapatnam district had recorded the highest number of cases.