■   Statewide ACB raids at 18 RTO and registration offices

■   Rs 96,870 seized in Bheemadevarpally, Rs 92,000 in Kamareddy

■   20 agents detained in Hyderabad RTO offices

■   Raids expose illegal agent networks and staff collusion

■   Public urged to report corruption via ACB’s 1064 helpline

metro india news  I hyderabad

Widespread corruption in Telangana's transport and registration departments came under fire as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) carried out a high-impact crackdown across multiple districts on Thursday, exposing illegal operations by RTO agents and staff. The meticulously coordinated raids, conducted at 18 different locations, uncovered a well-entrenched network of bribery involving fake intermediaries and unauthorised cash collections for public services.

Nearly Rs 1.92 lakh in unaccounted cash was seized during the operation. The largest haul came from the Bheemadevarpally sub-registrar office in Hanumakonda district, where Rs 96,870 was recovered from four document writers found collecting bribes for property registrations. At the Kamareddy district’s Salabatpur RTO checkpost, ACB officials seized Rs 92,000 from private individuals caught illegally stopping trucks and demanding payments. In Hyderabad’s Uppal RTO office, Rs 3,450 in cash was found with seven agents facilitating illegal deals for RC books and driving licenses. 

Officials also confiscated mobile phones, old documents, and other crucial records for investigation.

The raids were launched on Thursday in Hyderabad (Uppal and Tirumalagiri), Medchal, Peddapalli, Kamareddy, and Hanumakonda. In Hyderabad alone, around 20 agents were detained from the Uppal and Tirumalagiri RTO offices. As the teams stormed the premises, agents attempted to flee, but several were caught and questioned on-site. The ACB teams sealed office gates and conducted detailed inspections under the supervision of DSPs Anand Kumar and Sridhar.

In Kamareddy, raids began at 3 a.m. at the border checkpost in Salabatpur, where private individuals were operating illegally in place of transport officials. Two suspects were taken into custody, while others managed to escape. In Peddapalli, ACB officers detained several RTO agents and continued questioning as part of the wider investigation into long-standing allegations of corruption.

Back in Hanumakonda, the document writers caught inside the sub-registrar office had unrestricted access to official work areas, in violation of departmental norms. Old and suspicious documents were also found in their possession. DSP Sambaiah, who led the raid, confirmed that a full report would be submitted to higher authorities and urged the public to report any bribe demands by calling the ACB helpline 1064.

The operation has disrupted routine functioning at the affected offices, leaving many citizens waiting for hours to complete licensing and registration tasks. However, ACB officials emphasized that such enforcement actions are critical to restoring transparency and accountability in public services. More raids are likely in the coming days, officials said, as investigations deepen into the seized evidence.