Excise officials held for illegal stash of money

HYDERABAD: Three excise officials were arrested for possessing unaccounted money collected as 'mamools' from wine shops, bars and restaurants by AntiCorruption Bureau sleuths in Karimnagar district.On information, ACB sleuths intercepted a Tata Victa with registration number AP 16B 7966 in front of the Zilla Parishad office in Karimnagar two days back. Four persons, including the driver, M Ramesh were found travelling in the vehicle. The three others include excise inspector K Sivaprasad and subinspector CH Balanarsimha, both members of the Prohibition and Excise Enforcement, Special Task Force and the excise inspector of II Town, Godavarikhani, M Yadagiri. "An amount of more than Rs 3.62 lakh was seized from the driver,'' an official release said.During interrogation of the driver, Ramesh, ACB sleuths came to know the amount was collected as mamool from owners of wine shops, bars and restaurants of Karimnagar district and also from excise officials by Sivaprasad and Balanarsimha. "It also came to light that Yadagiri, the excise inspector handed over Rs 24,000 to STF members as part of mamool to Excise, STF officials,'' the release said. A case was registered against all three of them.Meanwhile, the mandal surveyor in office of the special deputy collector (LA) Telugu Ganga, who is also incharge of B Mattam mandal in Kadapa district, C Prudhvi Raj was trapped by ACB sleuths when he took Rs 2,500 as bribe from a person to survey lands, the release said.