Cumbum Agricultural Officer Caught By ACB While Taking ₹20,000 Bribe

What are you doing? The Ongole Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday caught Cumbum’s Mandal Agriculture Officer red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 from a fertilizer dealer.

Defendant officer Sk. Mohammed has been arrested and will be produced before the Special Judge for ACB cases, Nellore.

According to officials, the case was registered on the complaint filed by Radharapu Ravindra Kumar, a resident of Turimella village in Cumbum mandal, who was running a fertiliser, pesticide and seed business since 2022 after obtaining necessary licences.

Officials said the complainant informed the Mandal Agriculture Officer when new stock arrived so that samples could be taken as per rules. In 2025, after purchasing new stock and informing the officer, Mohammed allegedly delayed taking samples until the entire stock was sold. He then demanded ₹20,000 to prevent an inactive notice from being forwarded to higher authorities, which could have resulted in cancellation of the licence.

The seller, who did not want to pay the bribe, applied to the ACB. Acting on the complaint, ACB officials caught Mohammed by trapping him while accepting bribe at the Government Boys’ Hostel in Cumbum on Friday. The amount of change on him was seized.

ACB officials said searches were carried out at the constable’s house and office. Mohammed joined the post as Agricultural Extension Officer in 2009 and was promoted as Mandal Agriculture Officer in 2020. He has been serving in Cumbum mandal since June 2025.