Two Forest Department officials were arrested by the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday while accepting a bribe of ₹3.5 lakh in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

The accused were identified as Santhapuri Sujatha, Forest Divisional Officer (FDO), Bhadrachalam, and Bhukya Krishna, Deputy Range Officer of Tegada and in-charge Forest Range Officer of Charla. According to the ACB, the duo was trapped at the Forest Divisional Office in Bhadrachalam after demanding and accepting the amount from a complainant.

The ACB said the officials sought money in exchange for not registering cases against the complainant over alleged damage to forest trees during the laying of a two-kilometre BT road from Pusuguppa village in Charla mandal to the Chhattisgarh border. The road work was completed in 2025. The officials were also accused of assuring the complainant that they would not interfere in his present and future works.

Investigators said the accused initially demanded ₹10 lakh but later reduced the amount to ₹3.5 lakh following requests made by the complainant. The tainted cash was recovered from the Deputy Range Officer at the instance of the Forest Divisional Officer.

The ACB stated that both officials had misused their official positions to obtain undue advantage. They are being arrested and will be produced before the special court for SPE and ACB cases in Warangal.

The case is under investigation, while the identity of the complainant has been withheld for security reasons.