Telangana's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday, 5 October 2026, caught a Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Town Planning Supervisor red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹4 lakh in Hyderabad. The arrest is part of a wider anti-graft sweep that also netted a district health officer, a health inspector, and a private driver in a separate bribery case on the same day.

How the GHMC Bribery Case Unfolded

Tulasiram Sunitha, Town Planning Supervisor at the GHMC's Golconda Zone office, allegedly demanded a total bribe of ₹8 lakh from a complainant and accepted an initial part-payment of ₹4 lakh. According to the ACB, the accused demanded the money in exchange for ignoring speaking orders issued by the Deputy Commissioner, GHMC — orders that would have allowed the complainant to proceed with building construction — and for promising to refrain from causing further harassment.

ACB officials recovered the tainted ₹4 lakh from Sunitha's possession at the time of the trap. In addition, ₹2.50 lakh in unaccounted cash was also found on her and subsequently seized. The bureau stated that the accused had performed her official duties 'improperly and dishonestly to obtain an undue advantage.'

Sunitha is being produced before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Nampally, for judicial remand. The case remains under investigation.

Second Case: Health Officials Caught in Physiotherapy Centre Scam

In a separate operation, the ACB trapped Ranga Reddy District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Swarna Kumari, Health Inspector M. Srinivas, and private driver Madduri Krishnaiah in a bribery case linked to an unlicensed physiotherapy centre.

According to the ACB, acting on the instructions of the DM&HO and the Health Inspector, the driver demanded ₹1 lakh from a complainant as a reward for returning the keys of the complainant's seized physiotherapy centre. The amount was also allegedly sought as an undue advantage for not taking further action against the centre for operating without a DM&HO licence and for facilitating the issuance of a fresh licence.

ACB officials recovered the bribe amount from the driver's possession. All three accused are being produced before the Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Nampally, for judicial remand.

Pattern of ACB Action in Telangana

Monday's dual operation reflects a sustained enforcement posture by Telangana's ACB, which has targeted officials across civic and health departments in recent months. Notably, the arrests span two distinct government verticals — urban planning and public health — signalling that the bureau's scrutiny is not confined to a single sector. Critics argue that trap-based arrests, while visible, need to be complemented by systemic reforms in discretionary approval processes to reduce the structural incentives for bribery.

What Happens Next

Both cases are currently under active investigation. The accused will face judicial remand proceedings at the Nampally special court, after which the ACB is expected to seek custody for further questioning. Departmental action against the serving officers is also likely to follow, in keeping with standard procedure in ACB trap cases.