Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) is facing a threat from
unexpected quarters: fake ACB organizations that are misusing its name for their
selfish gains and getting their things done by threatening officials under its
guise.
The Mancherial police on Monday arrested two persons
K. Venkata Varaprasad and K. Srinivas, and two others who were absconding, who
posed as publishers of a non- existing newspaper of ACB and had even ‘recruited’
few persons as staff.
The issue came to light when two youth, posing as ACB
officials, asked Mandal surveyor G. Krishnapriya, who was working in local
Tahsildar’s office to give a report in their favor with regard to a disputed
land or they would expose her corrupt practices to higher level officials.
A person named Olapu Sukesh,37, had sought their help
to get this survey report done in his
favor.
When the surveyor refused, pointing out that he had
no legal land documents for it, the miscreants summoned her to their office and
threatened her with regrettable consequences if she failed them what they
wanted. She became suspicious and
reported the matter to the police.
Police found that some miscreants where resorting to
blackmail, their main target being revenue department officials.
They were using the ACB’s credentials and capitalizing
on the rise in entrapment cases by threatening officials. They were also
ostensibly publishing a newspaper called Anti- Corruption News, in High Teach Colony
in Mancherail town and claiming that it was affiliated to the ACB.
Similarly, many associations, masquerading as proponents
of human rights, have mushroomed in the Adilabad in the recent, interceding on
various issues involving family, land and police and collecting money from both
the parties that they were apparently trying to help.
Members such organizations ask the people to come to
their office, promising to resolve their problems.
Even top government officials have been attending
the meetings or workshops conducted by such organizations as chief guests
without neither checking their track record nor authenticity.
The organizations have been prominently displaying
hoardings, bearing their photographs, and gullible people have been going to
them for help. The police
had even arrested a person who claimed to be the president of human rights association
and was indulging in extortion in Hyderabad last year.
