The Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB), which coming down heavily on the liquor syndicate mafia in andhra Pradesh, is now after te police personnel who are allegedly have a nexus with the liquor mafia. More than 45 days after registering cases against liquor syndicates, ACB sleuths on Sunday acted against civil police whose names figured in the ACB report on liquor syndicates.

The ACB sleuths arrested seven police officers - two officers on special duty, a deputy superintendent of police and four inspector rank officers - in Kurnool, Warangal and Adilabad districts. While some police officers resisted the ACB action, some others named in the ACB report could not be traced as they are learnt to have fled their homes. Several other police officials, including some of SI rank, were already in ACB custody for questioning. The arrested include Ram Prasad, OSD, Kothagudem in Khammam district (formerly the DSP of Mahabubabad in Warangal) and Veereshwar Rao, former DSP of Hanamkonda in Warangal.

In Kurnool, ACB Special Investigation Team (SIT) deputy superintendent of police Sudhakar took Yemmiganur former circle inspector B Gunashekar Babu and Yemmiganur excise circle inspector Lakshminarayana into custody. They were taken to Hyderabad for further interrogation. The names of both the CIs figured in the ACB report. While Gunashekar Babu, who is now inspector at the Police Control Room in Kurnool, was picked up from police quarters, Lakshminarayana was taken into custody in Bangalore. After his name figured in the ACB report, Lakshminarayana went on leave since February 1 and has since been living in Bangalore.

Names of Yemmiganur Town SI Chandrababu and Rural SI Nallappa and excise SIs Qasim, Chandramohan and Ramanjaneyulu also figured in the ACB report. With Sunday’s arrests, all the five SIs are worried about their future. In Warangal district, raids were conducted on the police officers whose names figured in the ACB report. On being tipped off about the raids, some police officers locked and left their homes along with their family members. However, the SIT team took Subedari CI Ranadhir and Kazipet CI Vijaya Sarathi took into custody. After questioning, the two were shifted to Hyderabad where they were arrested. Mattewada CI Prabhakar Rao and former Mamunuru DSP Venkateswara Rao were also taken into custody for questioning.

In Warangal district, as many as one ASP, four DSPs, 16 CIs, 15 SIs and 70 police constables are facing charges of taking kickbacks from liquor syndicates. ACB sleuths faced some resistance when they went to the residence of Mattewada CI Prabhakar Rao. High drama prevailed at Prabhakar Rao’s residence. Prabhakar Rao threw sand in the eyes of ACB officials and ran away from his residence. However, he surrendered himself before the ACB officials later. In Adilabad district, the ACB took OSD B Uma Maheshwar and Adilabad Rural CI Sridhar Rao into custody. The ACB said the seven officials were arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC for collecting bribes from liquor syndicates.