NOB_Charla: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday caught the Warden of the ITDA Tribal Welfare Boys Hostel at Satyanarayanapuram, Charla mandal, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.

The accused, Bhookya Wal Singh, had allegedly demanded the amount from the hostel cooks to clear their pending salary bills.

According to the ACB, the cooks had been working for years but their bills were not being forwarded to higher officials. When they approached the warden, he insisted on a Rs 15,000 bribe for his signature.

Fed up with the harassment, the victims lodged a complaint with the Khammam Range ACB. After verifying the complaint, DSP Y. Ramesh laid a trap near the hostel.

On Friday afternoon, as the complainant handed over the cash inside the hostel, the ACB team swooped in and caught the warden. The bribe money was seized and a phenolphthalein chemical test confirmed he had accepted it.

A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the accused is being shifted to the Special ACB Court in Warangal for remand.

ACB officials have urged citizens to dial toll-free number 1064 to report bribe demands.