Nellore: Collector P. Rajababu on Thursday directed officials to ensure foolproof arrangements for the Pakala Beach Festival, scheduled for February 14 and 15 at Pakala Beach in Prakasam district.
After inspecting the venue with DRO Chinna Obulesu, he stressed coordinated planning for sanitation, parking, drinking water, transport, medical camps and police bandobast, anticipating a large turnout. He also called for attractions such as adventure sports, cultural programmes and local food courts, and directed RTC officials to run special buses during the festival.
Retired Tahsildar Gets 3-yr Jail in 11-yr-old Bribery Case
A Special Court in Visakhapatnam convicted a retired Tahsildar for demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000, sentencing him to three years of simple imprisonment and imposing a fine of ₹10,000. The convicted official, Sunkesula Siddaiah, who was serving as Tahsildar of Bheemunipatnam (Bheemili) mandal at the time, was found guilty under Sections 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The case dates back to August, 2014, when brothers Surala Venkata Rao and Surala Satyanarayana of Krishnamrajupeta village purchased 0.33 cents of agricultural land at Majjivalasa revenue village. After applying online for Pattadar Passbooks on August 4, 2014, Siddaiah allegedly demanded ₹15,000 to process and issue the documents. Following Venkata Rao’s complaint, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Visakhapatnam, registered a case and laid a trap. On February 9, 2015, Siddaiah was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe and was arrested. After investigation, a charge sheet was filed in 2016, leading to his conviction. Meanwhile, ACB Visakhapatnam on Wednesday conducted simultaneous searches at multiple locations in connection with allegations against K. Srinivasa Rao, a retired superintending engineer of the panchayat raj department. The searches were carried out in Madhurawada and Visakhapatnam city, Saluru in Parvathipuram Manyam district, and Serilingampalli in Hyderabad, in a disproportionate assets case.
2 thieves get jail in separate incidents
Two persons have been awarded jail in separate theft cases for burglary and snatching incidents, by courts in Anakapalli district. In one case, the XI Additional Judicial Magistrate of the First Class Court, Anakapalli, sentenced Tatipudi Shankar, an auto driver from Aganampudi, to 18 months of simple imprisonment for a series of night break-ins in 2019. The cases, investigated by the Anakapalli Rural police, including the theft of 13.5 tolas of gold at Ukkinagaram and three tolas of gold at L.R.M. Colony. Pronouncing the verdict, Judge A. Ramesh observed that the accused was a habitual offender. A second accused died during the trial, while a third was acquitted due to lack of evidence. In the second case, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Chodavaram, sentenced an accused to 14 months of simple imprisonment for stealing a purse containing ₹1,000 from a woman, Kambidi Ravana Kumari of Chodavaram, at the Chodavaram RTC complex on December 24, 2024 while travelling from Gajuwaka to Paderu. Following her complaint, Chodavaram police investigated the case and secured the conviction.
State-level Quran memorisation contest on Feb. 8
The United Forum for Quranic Studies (UFQS) will organise the 11th state-level Holy Quran Memorisation Talent Competitions for boys and girls in Vijayawada on February 8, UFQS chairman Mohammed Dawood said. Children aged 3 to 12 from across Andhra Pradesh are participating. The contests are being held in separate categories for government, rural and private school students. Forty children have qualified for the quarter-finals after district-level rounds. All quarter-finalists will receive medals, certificates and mementoes, while winners of the grand finals will get cash prizes of ₹20,000, ₹15,000 and ₹10,000. The event will take place at the Automobile Technicians Association Hall, Autonagar, and will be attended by several dignitaries.
DGP assures full support to fallen cops’ families
Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta on Thursday reaffirmed the police department’s commitment to supporting families of personnel who die in the line of duty and ensuring their long-term financial security.
At a programme held at the DGP’s office, he handed over insurance cheques to the families of police personnel who died in on-duty accidents across various districts. Under the Bank of Baroda Police Salary Package, a cheque of ₹1.11 crore was given to Perugu Nannuramma, wife of head constable Keerthi Venkata Raju, who died while serving in the Bapatla Intelligence Wing.
Under the New India Assurance Company’s Group Personal Accidental Insurance (GPAI) scheme, cheques were also distributed to other bereaved families. These included ₹20.65 lakh to the family of constable A. Satish Kumar of Anantapur traffic police station; ₹20.37 lakh to the family of AR Constable M. Nireekshana Babu of Prakasam district; ₹20.45 lakh to the family of Head Constable M. Nagesh of Muchumarri police station in Nandyal district; and ₹10.35 lakh to the family of Home Guard Sk Kasim Ali of Palnadu district.
The DGP said MoUs with several banks had been extended and new agreements signed to enhance accident and natural death insurance coverage. Key measures include extension of SBI Police Salary Package benefits up to 70 years post-retirement, special health insurance of up to ₹50 lakh for families, National Pension System benefits for retired home guards, Axis Bank coverage of ₹1 crore for accidental death, and Union Bank insurance cover of ₹1.20 crore for accidental death.
Vignan Mahotsav 2K26 begins
The national-level Vignan Mahotsav 2K26 was inaugurated on Thursday at Vignan’s University, Vadlamudi, with around 20,000 students from several states participating in the three-day event. Chief guest and playback singer Dr Komanduri Ramachari emphasised the need to nurture artistic talent alongside academics, saying holistic development requires a balance of science, fine arts and sports. He urged students to view the festival as a platform for learning and self-discovery rather than mere competition. Chairman of Vignan’s Educational Institutions Dr Lavu Rathaiah said failure teaches lasting lessons, recalling that the festival, launched 19 years ago, was India’s first youth festival for engineering students. VU CEO Dr Meghana Koorapati noted that over 80 sports, technical and cultural events are being held, while in-charge Vice-Chancellor Prof. K.V. Krishna Kishore encouraged lifelong learning and fitness. The inauguration featured a lamp-lighting ceremony, march-past, cultural performances and fireworks.
6 ganja peddlers sentenced to 10-year RI
The First Additional District and Sessions Court, Anantapur, on Wednesday sentenced six ganja peddlers to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment each and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on each of them under the NDPS Act.
First Additional Sessions Judge C. Satyavani pronounced the verdict after the prosecution proved the charges. The case dates back to June 2021, when Anantapur Rural Police intercepted a car during vehicle checks near MYR Function Hall on Ballari Road and seized 29.10 kg of ganja. The accused—Kunchapu Vadde Pawan Kumar, Gajula Akhil, Palle Venkata Raviteja, Gajula Nagaraju, Poola Sunil Kumar and B. Dhanaraj—from Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai and West Godavari districts, were arrested and charges filed against them.
Superintendent of police P. Jagadeesh appreciated the Anantapur Rural police and the court monitoring team for their effective coordination, noting that timely production of witnesses led to the conviction.
Assistant BC welfare officer in ACB net DC CORRESPONDENT ANANTAPUR, FEB. 5 The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday caught an Assistant BC welfare officer red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 in Sri Satya Sai district.
The accused, Puram Balaji, Assistant BC welfare officer, Kadiri Division, allegedly demanded the bribe from a Government BC Boys Hostel warden for clearing pending diet bills for 2023-24. Unwilling to pay, the warden approached the ACB.
ACB officials laid a trap and arrested Balaji at his residence while accepting the bribe. Searches were conducted at his residence and office. He will be produced before the Special Judge for ACB cases in Kurnool.
Case Registered for Filming ‘Lucky Draw’ Promo at Tirumala Temple; Main Accused Arrested
Tirumala I Town Police have registered a case over an incident that allegedly hurt the sanctity of the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple, following a complaint by the TTD vigilance officials.
According to police, two youths shot a promotional video in front of the temple without permission, falsely claiming that winners of an Instagram “lucky draw” would be gifted a BMW car. The video was later posted on social media, misleading the public and violating temple norms.
Acting on the directions of Tirupati district SP L. Subbarayudu, a special team arrested the prime accused, Goli Anil of Hyderabad, on February 5. A BMW car (AP07 CM 7007) used in the promotion was seized from him.
Police said the accused, along with Siddamoni Narender, used Instagram to run fraudulent “lucky draw” schemes. Narender has already been arrested in a related case by Panjagutta police and is currently in judicial custody.
CII Vijayawada hosts post-budget analysis
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Vijayawada Zone organised a comprehensive Post Budget Analysis session on Thursday, with industry leaders and tax experts lauding the Union Budget 2026-27 as a forward-looking blueprint for sustaining economic growth amid global uncertainties.
Dr V. Nagalakshmi, chairperson of CII Vijayawada Zone, welcomed the Budget as a confidence-building document that demonstrates the government’s commitment to next-generation reforms. “At a time of heightened global uncertainty, the Budget sends a reassuring signal of continuity, credibility, confidence and long-term vision for India’s development journey,” she stated.
B. Lakshmi Narayana, IRS, additional commissioner of CGST, commended the Budget’s emphasis on encouraging compliance while easing administrative burdens on taxpayers. He highlighted several welcome initiatives, including reduced TCS rates on specified foreign remittances, extended deadlines for filing revised tax returns with nominal fees, and simplified TDS deposit mechanisms for non-resident property transactions.
The additional commissioner also drew attention to the new simplified Income-tax Act set to take effect from April 1, 2026, with redesigned forms expected soon. A one-time Foreign Assets Disclosure Scheme was announced to encourage voluntary disclosure of foreign assets and income without prosecution fears.
S. Narendra Kumar, vice-chairman of CII Andhra Pradesh, particularly welcomed measures positioning India as a global technology and digital services hub. He noted that enhanced tax certainty, faster dispute resolution and enabling regulatory frameworks would support the continued growth of Global Capability Centres and high-value service exports.
“The tax holiday for foreign companies providing cloud services using data centres located in India is a significant step that will catalyse investments in data centres, digital infrastructure, and cloud ecosystems, further strengthening India’s digital economy,” he emphasised.
Population Census to be held from Feb. 9 to 28 in 2027: CS
Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand has announced that the population Census will be held in the state from February 9 to 28 in 2027.
Chairing a state-level coordination committee meeting on population Census-2027 at the Secretariat on Thursday, the CS directed the officials concerned to take appropriate measures to ensure smooth conduct of the census and called for taking up widespread awareness among the public on the population census.
HC serves notices to police, TD leader to file counter affidavits
The Andhra Pradesh High Court held a hearing on a lunch motion petition filed by YSRC senior leader Ambati Rambabu to quash a case filed against him over his derogatory remarks made against Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on suspected adulteration of laddu of Tirumala. The court served notices to the police and the complainant and TD leader Pilli Manikyala Rao to file counter affidavits.
A single judge bench headed by Justice Venkata Jyothirmai Pratapa held a hearing on the matter here on Thursday.
Petitioner’s senior counsel Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy submitted that they approached the High Court challenging the lower court orders for judicial remand.
Public prosecutor on behalf of the police, M. Lakshminarayana, argued that the petitioner filed a bail plea in the lower court and quash petition in the High Court while the police filed a petition seeking his custody and submitted that it was not acceptable.
After hearing both the parties, the court adjourned the case for next hearing to February 11.
Assistant BC welfare officer in ACB net
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday caught an Assistant BC welfare officer red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 in Sri Satya Sai district.
The accused, Puram Balaji, Assistant BC welfare officer, Kadiri Division, allegedly demanded the bribe from a Government BC Boys Hostel warden for clearing pending diet bills for 2023-24. Unwilling to pay, the warden approached the ACB.
ACB officials laid a trap and arrested Balaji at his residence while accepting the bribe. Searches were conducted at his residence and office. He will be produced before the Special Judge for ACB cases in Kurnool.
Youth dies while performing bike stunts for reels
A 20-year-old youth lost his life while attempting risky bike stunts for social media reels near Kadapa town on Wednesday, police said.
The deceased, identified as Mubarak, a resident of Kadapa, was reportedly obsessed with creating reels to gain likes and views on social media platforms. As part of this, he and a friend attempted dangerous motorcycle stunts on a road near the town while recording videos.
During one such stunt, the motorcycle went out of control and crashed, throwing Mubarak onto the road. He sustained severe injuries and died on the spot.
His friend, who was riding pillion, suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment. The motorcycle was badly damaged in the accident.
Kadapa police registered a case and were investigating into the incident.
3-member chain-snatching gang held, gold recovered
Srikakulam district police arrested three chain-snatchers and recovered a stolen gold ornament worth ₹6 lakh from them, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, Menda Venkataramana, 39, Gunta Pramila, 34, and Gunta Jagadeeswara Rao, 42, were apprehended at Dusi Road Junction while attempting to sell the stolen jewellery.
According to police, the crime took place on the morning of January 30. The trio approached a 67-year-old woman at her residence under the pretext of asking for drinking water. One of the accused, Gunta Pramila, initially sought water with an empty bottle, citing the need to use the bathroom. Venkataramana then made a similar request.
When the victim went inside to fetch water, Venkataramana followed her and attempted to snatch the gold chain from her neck. As she resisted, he assaulted her.
Based on a complaint by the victim’s son, Patina Ramachandra Rao, 43, Srikakulam Rural police registered a case, nabbed the accused and recovered the stolen gold.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
