Allegations of Illegal Collections in Firecracker Shop Permits

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids at the LB Nagar Fire Station on Friday following complaints that money was being demanded from applicants seeking permission to set up firecracker shops. During the searches at the fire station located in Uppal Bhagayath, officials reportedly found Rs. 30,000 in unaccounted cash and identified 80 online transactions involving Fire Station In-charge CI Sheenaiah, Station In-charge P. Sridhar and some other staff members. Ranga Reddy District Range DSP Anand Kumar shared these details.

According to the DSP, an examination of the staff members’ mobile phones revealed that they had allegedly received payments from firecracker shop operators through PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm. The amounts reportedly ranged from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000, depending on the size of the shops. Anand Kumar said that further action would be taken against those found involved in corruption after a detailed inquiry and with the approval of senior officials.