CBI arrests Hyderabad region mining Deputy Director, two others in bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three persons, including a Deputy Director (Mining) of the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), Hyderabad-III Region, in connection with an alleged bribery case linked to a fatal mining accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district.

The arrested persons have been identified as U. Siva Sankar, Deputy Director (Mining), DGMS, Hyderabad-III Region, South Central Zone; Sidda Venkata Suresh Kumar, representative of M/s Vasavi Granites, Chimakurthy in Prakasam district; and A. Subhaskar Reddy, consultant and proprietor of M/s Lotus Enviro Mining Services (LEMS), Ongole.

According to the CBI, the agency registered a case on Monday (August 17) against Siva Sankar, consultant, representatives of a private mining establishment and other unidentified public servants and private persons over alleged demand and acceptance of bribes.

The case relates to a fatal accident that occurred at a mining quarry in Prakasam district on June 25. The CBI alleged that representatives of the mining establishment approached Siva Sankar through Subhaskar Reddy seeking a favourable enquiry report in connection with the accident without implicating the owners of the establishment.

The agency alleged that the middleman had earlier paid ₹1 lakh to the Deputy Director (Mining) as an undue advantage for obtaining a favourable report.

Subsequently, ₹2 lakh was arranged to be paid to Siva Sankar at Ongole on Monday. The amount was intended to secure a favourable report in the fatal accident case and towards alleged quarterly bribe payments relating to the private mining establishment and other mines, the CBI said.

The agency laid a trap at Ongole and caught Siva Sankar allegedly while accepting the ₹2 lakh bribe from the consultant/middleman in the presence of a representative of the private mining establishment. The bribe amount was recovered during the trap proceedings.

The CBI is also conducting searches at the premises of the accused in Ongole, Kadapa and Hyderabad. The three arrested accused were scheduled to be produced before the competent court at Vijayawada. Further investigation in the case is underway.