Amaravati, Sep 6: Andhra Pradesh’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have seized over Rs. 2.5 lakh cash during the surprise checks, conducted against officials of the Transport Department in SPSR Nellore district.

The ACB said on Sunday that acting on credible inputs regarding collection of illegal gratification from vehicle drivers by the officials of the Transport Department, the agency sleuths conducted surprise checks at Musunuru Toll Plaza, National Highway-16, Near Kavali, SPSR Nellore district on the intervening night of September 5 and 6.

During the surprise check, it was noticed that Banavath Gopi Naik, MVI, District Enforcement, Nellore district, was allegedly collecting illegal gratification from vehicle drivers at the Toll plaza, with the assistance of two Home Guards and one private driver, using a KIA Seltos car.

During the searches, the cash found lying on the roadside was secured and counted in the presence of the mediators, and an amount of Rs.68,800 was found, the ACB said in a release.

Thereafter, the KIA Seltos car of MVI was searched in the presence of the mediators, during which Rs.1,80,000 cash was found concealed in the dicky of the vehicle. The said amount, which was found to be unaccounted for and suspected to be connected with illegal gratification, was seized by the DSP, ACB, Nellore Range, in the presence of official mediators, for further enquiry, the anti-graft agency said.

The ACB has urged the public to report any instances of corruption in government departments to their respective local ACB offices or ACB toll-free No.1064 or ACB mobile No.94404 40057 or ACB email ID complaints-acb@ap.gov.in. The details of informants will be kept confidential, it said.

There have been several complaints of Transport Department officials demanding bribes in different parts of the State.

In March, 2026, the ACB had conducted surprise raids at multiple locations linked to Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI) Pillutla Lokanadha Prasad, posted in Machilipatnam, in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

Acting on credible information that the officer had amassed wealth beyond his known sources of income, the ACB registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended 2018).

Officials had seized property documents, electronic gadgets and other incriminating material. According to ACB, the accused officials owned three houses in Vijayawada, a site at Gunadala, and 2.75 acres of agricultural land in Munagala village, Suryapeta district, Telangana.

Mumbai, Sep 6: A crime resembling the plot of the Bollywood film “Special 26” came to light in Mumbai, where a businessman was kidnapped and threatened with arrest by a gang posing as Income Tax and Crime Branch officials and demanding Rs 1 crore to settle the matter.

The Andheri police have arrested six suspects in connection with the case, while the victim’s former driver has also been found to be involved in the alleged conspiracy.

The driver was reportedly dismissed from his job around a year ago and is suspected to have provided crucial information about the businessman to the other accused.

Following the complaint, the Andheri Police Station team launched an investigation and, on September 4, 2026, registered a case against nine unidentified accused.

Six suspects were subsequently arrested from Mumbai and Pune.

The arrested accused have been identified as Santosh Uday Khopatkar, 37, Vinay Ramesh More, 37, Prem Kishan Sabnani, 50, Pragya Harish Main, 27, Reshma Shamrao Warang, 41, and Sabina Hafiz Shaikh, 48.

The three other accused, identified as Shabina Shaikh, 48, Jitendra More and Ashok Shinde, 57, are currently absconding, and police teams are conducting searches to trace and arrest them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said that the police also found that three other similar cases had previously been registered against accused Sabnani.

According to the police, the gang allegedly targeted different individuals in separate incidents and carried out crimes using a similar method.

The incident took place on July 17, 2026.

The victim, identified as 49-year-old Rajkumar Kandasamy, is a businessman from Sakinaka and runs a business dealing in eye equipment in Chakala, Andheri East.

The sequence of events began when the victim’s office employee, Gyan Subhash Nainar, received a panicked phone call informing him that Income Tax and Crime Branch officials had allegedly raided the office.

The fake officials reportedly confiscated the mobile phones of all 11 employees present at the office and disabled the CCTV cameras to prevent the incident from being recorded.

Soon afterwards, an unidentified caller contacted the businessman and claimed to be an Income Tax official.

“I am calling from Income Tax. Your office is being raided. Come immediately, or we will take you away,” the caller allegedly told the businessman.

Alarmed by the threat, the businessman and his wife, Priya, immediately ordered an Uber cab to reach the office. However, when they reached the gate of their residential society, two suspects riding a motorcycle allegedly approached them.

One of the men reportedly showed a fake identity card and claimed to be an Income Tax officer. The accused allegedly threatened the couple and forced them into the cab they had booked. The suspects then allegedly snatched their mobile phones.

While the cab was travelling towards the office, the accused reportedly signalled a female associate and other male accomplices to follow them. The businessman and his wife were subsequently taken to the accused’s office against their will.

When the couple reached the location, six men and three women were allegedly present and introduced themselves as members of an investigation team. One of the accused reportedly produced a fake search warrant and obtained the businessman’s signature on it.

The accused allegedly invoked petty cash regulations and demanded Rs 1.70 lakh in cash from the businessman. They also threatened him with a penalty of Rs 1.44 crore.

Another accused subsequently demanded Rs 1 crore, allegedly claiming that the amount would settle the matter and help the businessman avoid arrest.

When the businessman demanded an official legal notice in connection with the alleged raid, the accused allegedly abused him and threatened him with serious consequences before leaving the premises.

After the accused left, the businessman contacted his chartered accountant and officials of the Income Tax Department. It was only then that he realised that the entire raid was fake and that he had been targeted by a gang impersonating government officials.

Following the revelation, the businessman approached the Andheri Police Station and lodged a complaint, prompting police to register a case and begin a detailed investigation into the alleged kidnapping, impersonation and extortion.

A case was registered against the accused under Sections 204, 205, 333, 140 (2), 127 (1), 351 (2) and 308 (4) of the IPC. After the registration of the case, Assistant Police Inspector Ramdas Kadam and his team examined CCTV footage from around 50 locations as part of efforts to identify and trace the accused.

The investigation led police teams to Mumbai and Pune, where six suspects were arrested. Police are continuing their efforts to locate the three remaining accused.

Patna, Sep 6: The flood situation in Bihar remained serious on Sunday as rising water levels in several rivers affected nearly 16.85 lakh people (1.685 million) across 11 districts of the state, even as relief and rescue operations are being carried out continuously by the administration in the affected areas.

According to official figures, the flooding has affected 61 blocks and 300 gram panchayats across 11 districts. Authorities have intensified relief measures to provide food, shelter and other essential assistance to people impacted by the floods.

As part of the ongoing relief operations, 80 community kitchens are currently functioning in the flood-affected districts. So far, around 1.21 lakh people have been provided meals through these centres. In addition, one relief camp is operational, providing accommodation, food, medical assistance, and other essential facilities to 326 flood-affected people.

To provide immediate relief to affected residents, authorities have distributed around 45,900 polythene sheets and 11,700 dry ration packets so far. To facilitate the evacuation and movement of people in flood-hit areas, a total of 1,158 boats are currently being operated across the state.

In view of the possibility of further flooding, 27 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams and seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in different districts to undertake rapid relief and rescue operations.

According to Water Resources Department data recorded between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sunday, the Ganga remained above the danger mark at several major locations in Bihar.

At Buxar, the Ganga was recorded 0.08 metres above the danger mark, although the water level was showing a declining trend. At Dighaghat in Patna, the level was 1.54 metres above the danger mark, while at Gandhighat, it was 1.96 metres above and at Hathidah, 1.74 metres above the danger mark. The water level at Gandhighat was stable, while Hathidah recorded a rising trend.

At Munger, the Ganga was 0.51 metre above the danger mark and continued to rise. At Sultanganj, the level was 2.01 metres above the danger mark, while at Bhagalpur it was 0.65 metres above it. The river also remained above the danger mark at Kahalgaon.

Meanwhile, in Prayagraj and Varanasi, the Ganga remained below the warning level. The water level was rising in Prayagraj, while a declining trend was recorded in Varanasi.

Barrage discharge data showed that at 9 a.m. on September 6, the Sone Barrage at Indrapuri was releasing 2,27,739 cusecs of water, with the flow showing a declining trend. The Kosi Barrage at Birpur recorded a discharge of 1,68,400 cusecs, which remained stable. The Gandak Barrage at Valmikinagar was releasing 1,29,000 cusecs, with the discharge also reported to be stable.

Meanwhile, the Bihar Meteorological Service Centre has forecast light to moderate rainfall at several places across the state over the next two days. Heavy rainfall is also possible at some locations.

In view of the possibility of further rainfall and a corresponding rise in river water levels, authorities have been kept on alert to undertake relief and rescue operations. The state government and district administrations are closely monitoring the situation in flood-affected areas, with relief materials, boats and rescue teams being deployed as required.