Telangana ACB conducts surprise check at fire station over alleged bribery in firecracker licensing

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana of Ranga Reddy Range, on Saturday, conducted a surprise check at the LB Nagar Fire Station following allegations of corrupt and irregular activities related to the issuance of temporary firecracker shop licenses.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana of Ranga Reddy Range, on Saturday, conducted a surprise check at the LB Nagar Fire Station following allegations of corrupt and irregular activities related to the issuance of temporary firecracker shop licenses. According to officials, Telangana ACB discovered multiple violations and procedural deviations in the fire station. The ACB reported that nearly 397  applications were received for temporary cracker shop licenses, out of which 26 applications remain pending for issuance.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau stated that fire stations were collecting amounts significantly higher than the prescribed fee. Although the official online fee challan for issuing a temporary cracker shop license is Rs 500, officials identified around ninety suspicious UPI transactions on the mobile phones of the staff members, with individual transactions ranging between Rs 1,000 and Rs 4,500, all of which occurred within the past week.

A probe has been initiated to investigate the pendency of the applications and determine the specific reasons for delay. The Anti-Corruption Bureau has requested the public to report any official of the Fire Station who demands money in excess of the prescribed online challan fee of Rs 5,00 or keeps applications pending for long durations without recommending or rejecting them by contacting the toll-free helpline number 1064.

Earlier, on October 28, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana arrested the Inspector of Police and a Home Guard attached to a Police Station in Hyderabad for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe. According to the ACB, Inspector M. Kondal Rao (Accused Officer-1) on October 27th 2026, was caught by the ACB, City Range-1 unit when he demanded an amount of Rs. 6,00,000/- and accepted the part payment of bribe amount of Rs.3,00,000/- from the complainant through (Accused officer 2) Abid Ali, Home Guard, Mirchowk P.S. for doing an official favor, i.e., "for closing the case registered against the complainant's father, avoid coercive action, and provide future support.

A press release from the Anti-Corruption Bureau stated that the tainted bribe amount of Rs.3,00,000/- was recovered from the possession of the AO-2. Thus, the AO-1 & AO-2 performed their duty improperly and dishonestly to obtain undue advantage. Therefore, the AO-1 & AO-2 are being arrested and produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE & ACB cases, Nampally, for judicial remand. (ANI)