AP liquor nexus: ACB nets nine Excise officials

                                                                
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested nine more excise officials in Khammam district on charges of "subverting" the tender process for allotment of liquor shops for pecuniary benefits, ACB officials said on Friday.

After "exposing" the liquor syndicate-political-officials nexus, ACB has intensified its searches on offices of liquor syndicate and Excise department across the state and seized documents, besides pertaining to irregularities, registering 26 cases since December last year.
The agency arrested nine Excise officials in connection with the case including Kothagudem excise superintendent Y B Bhaskar Rao, assistant excise superintendent Harikrishna Swamy and seven others, they said.

According to ACB, the arrested officials "fraudulently and dishonestly manipulated the auction records and documents and added names of other persons" and thus subverted the auction process with respect to 64 shops in order to obtain pecuniary advantage to themselves and to the persons whom they favoured.

The ACB in March first week had arrested four officials of Excise department on charges of processing files and playing an active role in handing over the control of business of 16 liquor shops to the liquor syndicate led by Nunna Venkata Ramana, who is presently under judicial custody.


Based on leads gathered from investigation during the crackdown on traders and officials, ACB found yet another instance of "subversion" of auction process of liquor shops during 2010 in Kothagudem Excise Division of Khammam district and registered one more case yesterday, ACB officials said.

The agency on March 11 also arrested seven police officials on charges of receiving illegal gratification in lieu of official favour to liquor mafia.