Bid to cheat beneficiaries gets official suspended

HYDERABAD: Days after The New Indian Express reported that the Shaikpet Mandal revenue inspector (RI) was employing a tout to demand bribes in lieu of releasing cheques to Kalyana Lakshmi scheme beneficiaries, the Hyderabad collector on Monday issued orders to suspend of the official.

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In an internal inquiry by the mandal revenue officer (MRO), following the TNIE report, it was found that RI Vasmi, who was to distribute 22 cheques under the scheme, handed over only three and retained the remaining 19. He approached the beneficiaries through a middleman, who demanded `10,000 to release each cheque.

When contacted, MRO, Shaikpet, K Venkat Reddy said, “After a complaint from a Kalyana Lakshmi scheme beneficiary, we found that the RI delayed the distribution of cheques. Distribution was being done through a middleman, who demanded a bribe to hand over the cheques.”

“We conducted an inquiry and found that only three cheques, instead of 22, were distributed. The rest were held in anticipation of getting bribes from the beneficiaries... After I submitted a report, the district collector suspended the RI,” he added.