Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have caught an insider, D. Sobhan Babu, who was leaking information to corrupt government employees under its surveillance.
Sobhan Babu, who joined the ministerial service as junior stenographer in 1989, is serving as Secret Branch Manager in the ACB headquarters. He allegedly misused his position and was maintaining contacts with the officers booked in cases.
“Particularly, the ACB Manager had contacts with almost all the officers in Visakhapatnam who are under our surveillance and those facing trial on corruption charges in the ACB Special Courts,” said ACB Director General (DG) R.P. Thakur.
On suspicion, the ACB officials kept a vigil on him for the last few days and verified his mobile phone call data, which confirmed that he had colluded with some officers booked by the ACB in the last few months. During enquiry, it came to light that Sobhan Babu was in contact with several public servants and corrupt officers before and after registration of cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. “The manager was in contact with Gajuwaka Sub-Registrar D. Venkaiah Naidu and Public Health Department Engineer-in-Chief Pamu Panduranga Rao, who were booked under Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases recently. The ACB officials seized huge properties amassed through illegal means, worth some crores of rupees from the two officers. As per the call data, the ACB manager contacted the two tainted officers before raids were conducted on their properties,” Mr. Thakur told The Hindu on Tuesday.Further, the ACB sleuths explained that Sobhan Babu used two mobile phone numbers, including government and a personal number. The personal number belonged to one Etukuri Venu, of Guntur district, who died in August 2013.
The accused stayed in a hotel in Visakhapatnam along with his family from May 18 to 21 and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) Assistant Engineer G.M.S. Kumar Raju had paid the bill of ₹18,993.
“Sobhan Babu was booked under Criminal Misconduct, of Prevention of Corruption Act. He was placed under suspension on Monday and would be arrested soon,” Mr. Thakur said.
