In a significant crackdown on corruption in the education department, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Visakhapatnam arrested a senior official for demanding and accepting a bribe from a retired teacher. The incident has sent shockwaves through the administrative circles of Alluri Sitharama Raju district.
Official Caught Red-Handed in Bribery Sting
The accused has been identified as Mori John, who held the dual positions of Headmaster (Gazetted) and the mandal education officer (FAC) of Paderu in ASR district. The ACB team apprehended him on Thursday at his office in Paderu while he was in the act of accepting the illicit payment.
According to the official complaint, the victim, P Sreeramulu, a primary school teacher who retired in June 2025, had submitted his pension proposals to Mori John in December 2025. These documents required the MEO's forwarding to the office of the Accountant General in Vijayawada for final sanction.
The Bribe Demand for Basic Service
Instead of processing the file as part of his official duty, Mori John allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 from the retired educator. The officer purportedly stated this payment was necessary to forward the pension proposal to the higher authorities in Vijayawada.
Unwilling to succumb to this corrupt practice, Sreeramulu took a bold step. He approached the ACB officials in Vizag and lodged a formal complaint against the mandal education officer. Following standard procedure, the anti-graft agency verified the allegations and laid a trap to catch the accused in the act.
Arrest and Ongoing Investigation
The ACB team successfully executed the operation, catching Mori John red-handed as he demanded and accepted the marked bribe amount of Rs 40,000 from the complainant at his MEO office in Paderu. He was immediately placed under arrest.
Subsequent to the arrest, ACB personnel conducted simultaneous searches at the residence and the office of the accused. These searches aim to gather further evidence related to the case and possibly uncover other instances of misconduct. The arrested official is slated to be produced before the special ACB Court in Visakhapatnam for judicial proceedings.
This case highlights the persistent challenge of corruption at the grassroots level of administration, where citizens are forced to pay for services that are rightfully theirs. The ACB's swift action serves as a stern warning to other public servants engaged in similar malpractices.
